Summer 1993: What if
by FrancesOfTheHamptons
Summary: What if Victoria Grayson had decided to run away with David Clarke back in 1993? I've been thinking about that since the first season and finally put all my ideas into my first Revenge fanfiction. The story follows Victoria, David and their children as they escape from the Hamptons and shows how they struggle to become a family. VictoriaxDavid
1. Surprise No 1

**Author's note: **This is my first fanfiction for Revenge and English is not my first language, so I apologize for all kinds of mistakes. I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Reviews would be very helpful to improve my writing! :)

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Careful not to make any noise Victoria Grayson set down her huge bag on the front porch. She took a look at her Armani watch and checked the time. _22:59. _That would give her about one hour if everything went according to her plan.

Quietly she entered the beach house through the door at its side. It was the door he always left open for her to sneak in at night, so they could enjoy a late night dinner together, watch some TV and afterwards end up as two passionate lovers under the comforting sheets of his bed upstairs.

Those nights provided Victoria not only the love and appreciation she clearly missed getting from her husband, but they also made her feel normal and took the pressure of being a perfect wife away from her. At least they did so for a few hours before she had to go back to her castle next door, where she had a kingdom to rule and pretend to be the happiest woman on earth. In fact, however, Victoria Grayson felt like the saddest woman living in the Hamptons with her son being at that boarding school and her husband trying to distract from his various affairs by buying expensive gifts for her.

Suddenly pulled out of her thoughts, she remembered for what reason she was here tonight. She wanted to leave all that behind and start anew.

So when Victoria finally reached the living room where she saw David sleeping peacefully on his couch with the TV still on, she knew that tonight was her last chance to fix her own life and at the same time keep David and his daughter Amanda from being destroyed by people whom he knew as friends and colleagues.

That was why she did not hesitate to grab the black laptop from the kitchen counter and leave the house again.

As she made her way through the sand towards the sea, it seemed that the world around her became darker and darker until the lights of the beach house were only a slight shimmer somewhere in the night.

Victoria shivered in her black cardigan and linen slacks and listened to the sound of the waves. The wind was pretty rough and constantly blew her long dark curls in her face, so that it was difficult for her to see where she was going. Eventually, she reached the shore and almost stepped into the water, but could pull away quickly enough to not to get her feet wet.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. Drowning that laptop was an essential part of her plan, because it meant destroying evidence. An evidence, which Conrad desperately needed to build a case against an innocent man in order to save his own company. However, Victoria had secretly decided that she could not let that happen.

It all came down to her standing on the beach in the middle of the night praying that the Atlantic Ocean would swallow up the crucial electrical device for ever.

At some point she found that the waves were trying to tell her they would take care of her problem, so she gathered all of her strength and threw the laptop out into the sea. She almost let out a furious scream, but remembered that she could not afford to be seen by anyone.

When the black piece of plastic had fully disappeared in the depths of the ocean, Victoria turned around and walked back towards the beach house, towards the light and towards the man she was sure she loved with all of her heart.

At first, she had thought getting rid of that laptop would be hard, but now she realized that the hardest part was yet to come.

About ten minutes later she found herself in David's kitchen again. Only this time she was trembling. Not only because of her little adventure at the beach, but also because she was afraid of David's reaction.

"Victoria? Is that you?", came a low voice from the living room. The problem was that Victoria could not answer, she could not utter a single word. Her lips were tightly pressed together and her arms wrapped around her chest as if she was freezing.

"Vic?", the voice asked again. All of a sudden a man's figure appeared in front of her and although it was dark, the worried expression on David's face was obvious. "I thought I had heard someone coming in earlier, I'm glad it was you." He started smiling and leant forward to give her a kiss, but immediately she turned her head away. "Is everything okay, Vic? You look like you've seen a ghost." David was irritated. Normally Victoria would lose herself once he started kissing her and it was even weirder when the brunette only stood there without saying a word.

"Victoria? Please talk to me. Something is clearly wrong. Is it Conrad? Did he…"

Victoria interrupted him by suddenly digging her fingernails into his arms. "David…", she whispered and looked deep into his blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and encouraged her to go on.

"David… I…" She simply couldn't say the words. She was so afraid.

"Tell me, you know you can." The blonde man smiled at her and the second Victoria felt the warmth of his gesture running through her body she managed to open her mouth properly.

"David, I… I want to run away with you." She let out a relieved sigh and began to relax her shoulders.

David most definitely wasn't expecting this. Of course, they had talked about getting away and had speculated about their life as a family, he had never – not even in his wildest dreams – imagined that Victoria, the woman he had fallen in love with head over heels, would come to him and tell him she wanted to run away with him.

As a result from that surprise, he did not know how to react in the first place, but as he saw the disappointed expression on her face, he did the only thing that felt right to him.

"That is… I don't even know… perfect." David took Victoria into his arms. "_You _are perfect." He gave her a kiss, but again she pulled away.

"You have to know that it won't be easy, David." The brunette spoke in a serious tone. "You'll have to leave everything behind if you really want to be with me. Are you willing to do this?"

"Sure, sure I am! I love you Victoria. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you!" He caressed her cheek, still wondering why she didn't seem as happy as he was. "Can't we talk about the details tomorrow? Since you obviously don't plan to go back to the Manor, I would very much like to carry you up to the bedroom now, so that I can wake up next to your beautiful face tomorrow." He was just about to lift her up when Victoria stopped him.

"No, no we cannot do that!", she stated harshly. "I have a plan, which we need to follow. We have to leave tonight or Conrad will get in our way."

"I sort of assumed you had already told him?! Why can't you just get a divorce?" David was more than irritated now.

"Because it is not that simple! Conrad would never let me go, you know that!", Victoria explained angrily and stepped away from her lover.

"It's okay, I get that. Don't be mad." David tried to calm her, because he realized she was pretty unnerved already. "So, what does your plan suggest we do first? And what do we do about Daniel?"

"Well," Victoria swallowed her tension trying to keep a clear head. "You need to pack a bag for you and one for Amanda with only your most important belongings. You can't take your cell or anything Grayson Global related. I hope you have some cash here, because we can't use our credit cards, they'd be too easy to track down. And about Daniel: I paid someone off, so we can pick him up at his school as soon as we're done here."

"Wow, you really thought that through.", David acknowledged. "And you are absolutely sure you want to turn your back on your privileged life as Mrs Grayson?"

"There's nothing that I want more.", assured Victoria, determined.

"Okay, I'll pack everything upstairs. Just wait here." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he disappeared upstairs.

Not even 20 minutes later, David came back with two bags and a sleepy looking Amanda by his side.

Victoria shot up from the chair she had been sitting on and tried to smile at the little girl. "Hey, Amanda."

Nevertheless, Amanda did not smile back at the brunette. Quite the opposite, the blonde girl turned to her father with a confused expression on her face. "Daddy, what's going on? Why can't you just tell me?" She made no effort in acknowledging Victoria's presence in any way.

"Amanda, I understand that you're confused, but please, you have to trust me and Victoria. Everything will be fine.", said David as he pushed his daughter further into the kitchen.

"I trust you. But I don't trust _her._" The little girl angrily glared at Victoria over her shoulder.

"Amanda!" David was shocked by the defiant attitude of his daughter. "You will not speak to Victoria like that ever again!" I thought you knew how to behave!"

"But I don't want to leave! It's the first day of summer holidays and I promised Jack I'd visit him!" Amanda screamed trying to hold back the tears. She did not understand why her father was suddenly being so mean to her. And she certainly did not have a clue what that woman from next door was doing here in _their _beach house in the middle of the night and why she was supposed to spend time with her.

"I'm sure Jack will forgive you. And now get in the car." David picked up their bags and led his daughter to her seat in the back of his Ford.

"No! I want to sit next to you Daddy!" Amanda refused to get into the car and stared at her father. By no means would she let that woman sit next to _her _Daddy.

"Don't be ridiculous Amanda. You always sit here!" David was annoyed since he didn't expect his daughter to be that reluctant.

"But _now _I want to be by your side and not in the back!" The girl insisted on her claim.

Just as David was about to tell his daughter off, Victoria, who carried her bag from the porch to the car, interfered with the situation. "It's okay, David. Let her sit in the front." She shot him a look saying that he shouldn't confuse his daughter more than they both already did.

David let out a sigh, grabbed Amanda's seat and placed it on the passenger's seat.

"Just to be clear, young lady, I will not tolerate your behavior any longer. Now get in."

Tears were running down her cheeks when Amanda seated herself and waiter for her father to start the engine. He usually didn't talk to her like that and it hurt her all the more when she saw how lovingly he touched the woman from next door.

Even if she was not sure what exactly was going on, she was determined to drive that lady away from her Dad. He was the only family she had left and she didn't like to share that with anyone.

As the three of them left the driveway, Amanda turned around and met the dark brown eyes of Victoria Grayson. Fear struck her body and she instinctively turned her head away to focus on the dim street lights again.

That woman was giving her the creeps and she could feel it in her bones: She was dangerous.

And sooner or later, Amanda would find a way to protect herself and more importantly her Dad, who was clearly blinded by the Queen's ravishing beauty, from that danger.


	2. Surprise No 2

**A/n: **Thanks for all of your reviews, I really appreciate that! Sooner as expected I managed to finish the second chapter. The story still needs some introductory chapters so I hope it's not too boring. ;) Enjoy and please review.

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David stared out of the front window of his parked car and watched Victoria standing under a streetlamp about 30 feet away.

After some time on the road Amanda had finally stopped crying and now only sat in silence, an empty expression filling her eyes. David had tried to take her hand and reconcile with her, but his daughter had refused any form of conversation with him. That was when he had begun to question his decision to put Amanda's interest aside and trust Victoria and her so-called plan instead.

After all, Amanda was his daughter and he had promised her that nothing would ever come between them. But now he was afraid that bringing Victoria into their life would break that promise.

The moment David lifted his head and came back from his thoughts, a young woman appeared in the street. As he observed her more closely, he could also detect a young boy walking behind her. He was apparently scared to death in the dark, but only until he seemed to recognize the woman standing in the flickering light of the streetlamp. He stopped and looked at her curiously. Only some seconds later the boy was running towards his mother, who kneeled down and hugged him as soon as he got to her. She whispered something into his ear and quickly pulled a white envelope out of her jacket, which she gave to the young woman accompanying her son.

David saw them exchange a few words before the woman turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the street again.

It was pretty obvious that young Daniel Grayson was just as confused as Amanda was and did not know how to deal with the situation. That was why Victoria decided to lift him up and carry him to the car while she was still whispering soothing words into his ear.

"Don't worry. You'll sit here, Danny, right next to me." Victoria explained when she seated her son in the back of the car. Since Daniel seemed to be too intimidated by the sudden change of scenery, he only nodded and watched his mother fastening the seatbelt.

It was then that it hit David. He couldn't just drive wherever Victoria was telling him. If she really had a plan she would need to explain the whole thing to him.

Thus, he left the driver's seat, grabbed Victoria's arm and pulled her away from the car, so that their children could not hear what they were saying.

"Your plan, Victoria. I need to know everything before I drag my daughter any further into this. I can't just follow your instructions. We have to work as a team from now on." David made his point pretty clear. As far as Amanda's well-being was concerned, he tried to keep his feelings for Victoria aside and think rationally.

It was no wonder that Victoria was surprised by the demanding tone in her lover's voice. Nevertheless, she understood his worries and simply answered his question. "I found someone who agreed to help us." She took David's hands into hers and went on. "He got us fake IDs and a car so that it will be difficult to track us down. Right now, the only thing we can do is to leave the city behind and find some Motel where we can stay until tomorrow. Then we'll take the fake IDs and the new car and drive as far away from here as possible. Conrad will be home from his business trip tomorrow at 9 am. I guess it'll take him about one hour to realize that I'm actually gone. He's not stupid so he'll probably check your place first only to see that neither you nor your car is anywhere in the Hampton's and after two more hours he'll finally notice that also his son is nowhere to be found. Afterwards, he'll scream at various people, drink a few glasses of Scotch and do some serious thinking which will lead him to the conclusion that our disappearance is by no means a coincidence but rather a trick of his evil wife to escape their marriage. So to sum it all up: We'll have to leave early."

David looked at Victoria with still a lot of question marks in his face. "Okay, I get that you don't want to face an angry and drunk Conrad, neither do I. But isn't it a bit over the top to travel across the country with fake IDs and a borrowed car? If you really want to get as far away as possible why don't we just take the plane?"

Victoria swallowed nervously. Too many questions, he asked too many questions. Now it was time to lie in order to hide her real intentions behind their little road trip. It was not that she was bad at lying, in fact she knew that she mastered the art of lying due to hard training leading back into her early childhood, but with David everything was different. He was an absolute honest man and she had sworn to herself to start a new life without the burdens of her past.

Nonetheless, Victoria was forced to make an exception in this case. She was sure that if David found out about the whole truth, he would be less willing to turn his back on the Hamptons. Instead, he would probably try to stay and fight for his right, but Victoria knew that that would be a fight destined to be lost to money, power and above all unscrupulousness.

In order to spare him such cruel fate, she finally opened her mouth and decided to do what she did best: Telling lies. "Conrad has his spies everywhere. I can't leave the country without being noticed. And I figured that those fake IDs would give us the chance to begin our life together without my husband making us go through hell and testing our relationship right from the start. I want to make this work. I want us to be real. And I also want to find a way to get along with Amanda which will be easier if we spend more time together." Victoria genuinely smiled at David and noticed the serious expression fading from his face. She had obviously chosen the right words and therefore succeeded in gaining his full trust again.

"I'm sorry, Vic. I didn't mean to push you. It's just that I'm so worried about Amanda. Normally, she's nothing like that." He gently squeezed her hand when another question popped up in his mind. "But wait, you didn't tell me who agreed to help us. Do I know him or her?"

Victoria hesitated for a moment before she answered. "It's Roger... Halsted."

"What? You asked Roger? How do you even know him?" He hadn't expected the Senior Accountant of Grayson Global and one of his true friends in the Hamptons to be a person to fake IDs and give away cars for free.

"Well, I met him at several of Conrad's business dinners and we talked a lot actually. It also came to my notice that you and him were quite good friends and he already knew about our affair, so I felt like he was the right person to turn to." Again Victoria put on a smile to distract from the fact that she was not telling the whole truth. And again, it worked.

"I just didn't think he would agree to do something illegal. He's such an upright guy."

"But as it appears, your friendship is more important to him." This time it was Victoria who stepped forward and pressed a kiss onto David's lips. She wanted to say that she was sorry for lying, that she only did this to protect them. After all, she really loved him and hated that it was so complicated for them to be together.

Once they made it through this whole mess, she would keep her promise and let go of her old habits for real.

Right now however, she could only believe in the goodness of David's heart to survive this nightmare and forgive her for all of her sins.

"Okay, so we're officially partners in crime now?" The doubts that filled David's head immediately disappeared as Victoria's soft lips crashed onto his. He had never been so utterly in love with a woman before and he was sure that he would not be able to live without her anymore.

"I guess we are." She felt his breath on her face and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But we don't have time for jokes right now. Let's get away from here and sleep a bit before we start our journey tomorrow."

David nodded and couldn't resist the urge to give his lover another kiss before they both got into the car again, drifting off into their own visions of what the next morning would bring them**.**

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**I'm not sure if you remeber Roger Halsted, but he's the guy from the flashback episode from Season 1, who had enough evidence to free David but was killed by Frank at the Grayson's 2002 New York Eve's party.  
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	3. Surprise No 3

**Author's note: **Some cute and hopefully not too cheesy Vivid stuff for you. ;)

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_She glanced up at the night sky while he was carrying her naked figure across the beach. _

_She felt like being watched by the millions of stars above them although she knew all too well that they were safe here at their secret part of the beach, especially at two in the morning._

_It was their last night together before she would fly off to meet Conrad in London the next day and stay there for two unbearable weeks, separated from the man for whom her feelings grew stronger and stronger every second she spent with him._

_Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice that the water was already covering his knees when a wave touched her feet for the first time. She flinched, because she hadn't expected the ocean to be that cold in contrast to the warm air of this first summer night of the year. His strong arms pulled her up immediately and she felt her bare skin smashing against his._

"_Shall I carry you back to our towels?"_

"_No, it's fine. It always takes me some time to get used to the water."_

_She began to relax in his grip again, laying her head against his chest and closing her eyes._

_She did not mind the cold water reaching the upper part of the body as long as his hands were still holding her._

_She'd miss him so much. Two weeks could be a very long time. Two weeks without his gentle touch, his admiring smile and the honesty of his words._

_Slowly, a single tear started rolling down her cheek. _

"_Don't be sad. I'll be there for you when you come back." He wiped the tear from her face and then placed a kiss on her full red lips._

_She didn't want the next day to approach so quickly, she wanted this magical moment to last forever and without hesitation she gave in to his soft but longing kiss completely…_

Victoria's eyes shot open.

_That night. _

It was robbing her of her much needed sleep.

When they had arrived at this motel somewhere outside of New York City, the woman at the reception had almost been asleep and given them a key to their room without asking any further questions about them paying with cash.

David and Amanda had agreed to sleep on the sofa bed while Daniel had cuddled up to his mother on the uncomfortable mattress of the other bed in the room.

The 6-year-old had fallen asleep right away with his head resting on his mother's chest and his hands lying on her stomach.

Victoria had remembered how her son used to snuggle up in her bed every night Conrad was not home so they would feel less lonely with the big empty house all to themselves. She had read bedtime stories and sung lullabies for him, but with the beginning of his first year at boarding school those times had come to an end abruptly.

From then on, she had felt like a part of her was being ripped away from her permanently and she had spent hours of crying into her pillow, weeping for her little boy who was educated to become a worthy successor to his father.

But one day, at the New Year's Eve party, _he _had entered her life and had brought back a smile on her face. And as the weeks had passed that simple smile had turned from affection into love and eventually into so much more…

Victoria was listening to David's steady breathing which normally soothed her until she fell asleep. But since the last few days, every moment her thoughts drifted off to him, her mind kept repeating the events of that night from two months ago. Therefore, she was unable to get restful sleep, if any at all.

She already kept too many secrets from her lover and she certainly couldn't live with this one any longer, so she decided to carefully move her son's body away from her and get up.

David needed to know what she was holding back. Regardless of her own insecurity about the whole issue, Victoria was sure she was making the right choice when she woke David and motioned him that they needed to talk.

Quietly, she closed the door of the small bathroom behind them and turned on the flashy neon lights.

David blinked as a reaction to the horrible bright light which was now filling the room.

"What is it now, Vic?" He stood only a few inches away from Victoria, narrowed between a moldy shower and a toilet looking like it hadn't been cleaned for at least 10 years. "Did you change your plan? Do you already hate being poor and want to go back to being a Grayson? Because that sofa bed is ruining my back and I'm afraid that if Amanda sets one foot into this so-called bathroom she'll catch a fatal disease. How are they even allowed to run this place?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I haven't changed my mind." Victoria bit on her lip nervously. "I'll tell you, but don't be angry with me okay?"

"Come on, don't be so secretive, it's almost 4am."

"Do you remember that night at the beach about two months ago? Right before I went to London for two weeks?"

"How could I forget that. You looked like the most beautiful mermaid when the moonlight shone on you in the water. It was also the first time you told me you loved me back." Judging from the smitten smile that crept onto David's face at the mention of that night, Victoria realized that he didn't draw any conclusions yet so she decided for being direct.

"Well, I'm pregnant."

It took him a moment until the meaning of her words became clear to him. _I'm pregnant. _

That woman certainly never ceased to surprise him. It was already the third time she had left him in complete shock in a conversation in only one night. But this revelation of hers was most definitely the most surprising of all.

"With... with _my _child?" David stammered. He couldn't believe that what she was telling him was true.

"Of course with _your _child! What do you think?" Victoria's voice started breaking away because she couldn't hide her emotions anymore.

"And you think it happened _that_ night?" Suddenly it all made sense to him.

Victoria nodded and tried to regain control of her voice again. "Yes, I'm almost 100 percent sure. I realize now that it was in fact perfect timing."

"So we're going to have a baby? _Together? _Don't you know how wonderful that is?" David was beaming with joy and it was more than difficult for him to stay calm. "Why would I be angry with you?"

"I thought you might feel trapped because you'll need to take care of another child and you'd think I only want to be with you because I'm having your baby."

_Your baby. _Those words coming from Victoria's lips meant everything to him. She just didn't seem to understand that all of her worries were ungrounded. Thus, in lack of an appropriate choice of words, David lifted her up and began spinning her around like some love-struck teenage boy.

Unfortunately, after only a few seconds, he was stopped by his back crashing against a mirror in the tiny room and he was forced to put Victoria back to the ground. His arms however remained tied around her slim body.

"You're waking up the whole motel!" She gripped his arms to steady herself as she hadn't been prepared for his sudden emotional outburst.

"To hell with this place! _We're _going to be a real family!" He smiled the brightest smile Victoria had ever seen on a man's face.

"Oh my God, I'm so relieved I got this off my chest." She couldn't help it when her eyes became wet and she started to cry. She felt too many things at the same time. Relief, joy, love, fear, insecurity. But in David's arms all of the latter seemed to disappear so she leaned into his embrace like she had done so many times before when her whole life had been a mess.

Instinctively, he pulled Victoria closer and began rubbing her back and caressing her hair. He knew exactly how handle her by now. What she needed to feel better when she was sad and what was giving her comfort when she felt lonely and insecure.

In the beginning, it had been extremely difficult with her since she hadn't trusted him enough to show her real emotions, but after some time she had been willing to share everything with him because she had realized that he was the only person who truly understood her.

And now she was giving him a child which made David inexpressibly proud.

"Shhhhh, calm down." He was gently playing with long streaks of Victoria's hair while she was sobbing into his shirt. "You've made me the happiest person on earth right now. You should've told me earlier."

"I only..." She sniffed and lifted her head a bit to look into David's eyes. " I took the pregnancy test only four days ago. I didn't know what to do, I was so desperate. If Conrad had found out he would've never let me have this baby. So I would've had to make him believe that it was actually his but I couldn't betray you. It felt so wrong. I want you to know that this is your child, David, because Conrad hasn't even touched me for like six months. This could only happen because of your love for me." Her brown eyes were staring at him and he detected not only love in that stare but also fear.

"You don't have to be afraid, Victoria. I won't let anyone harm you or our baby, especially not Conrad, I promise."

And the next moment, he forgot about absolutely everything except her warm lips suddenly crashing onto his, feeling her hands in his neck and gripping his hair until they found their way under his shirt pulling it over his head with ease.

David then freed her of her tank top in return and began kissing her cleavage which he knew would make her lose her senses if he was only doing it right.

He smiled to himself when a few minutes later Victoria was already moaning and digging her nails into his back.

"David, please.", she whispered. "Stop..."

No, he definitely wasn't willing to stop now. He liked teasing her and begging him to stop was her usual reaction to it. He was about to also free her of her trousers when she pushed his hands away roughly.

That however, was not a usual reaction of hers and David shot her an irritated look.

"Don't you hear it?" Victoria quickly grabbed her tank top and put it back on. "Daniel is obviously awake."

"_Mommy?_" Now that David listened carefully, he also heard the boy calling from next door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't..." He was interrupted by Victoria giving him another kiss and stating: "There wouldn't have been enough space for us in here anyway and it smells bad. I love you." And just like that she entered the bedroom with a smile on her face and laid down next to her son again.

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**I felt like this was a defining moment of their relationship so I decided to give it an extra chapter. The next one will be following the storyline again, I promise. **


	4. Fantasizing

**Author's note: **I want to thank all of you for you reviews. They really encourage me to continue this story. :)

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Amanda slowly lifted her eyelids. She instinctively observed the motel room which was already covered in the early morning sunlight fighting its way through the dirty curtains.

When she turned her head to the side, she noticed that her father wasn't lying next to her anymore.

An uneasy feeling shot through her body immediately and she sat up on the sofa bed.

The 9-year-old brushed her blonde curls out of her face hoping to find her father somewhere in the room. Unfortunately, Amanda was disappointed as the only person she could detect was Mrs Grayson's son who was still sleeping on the bed.

She was wondering where her father could possibly be when she noticed that his suitcase was not placed beside the sofa bed anymore. In fact, just like her Dad, it was nowhere in the room to be found. Suddenly, Amanda also realized the absence of Mrs Grayson's huge designer bag and that was when she began to panic.

Would her Dad really just leave her in a creepy motel with that rich boy in order to be with _her_? No, that couldn't be true. Her father loved her. He would never do such a coldhearted thing.

Nevertheless, she had to admit that he seemed so different last night. Was it possible for him to change so magnificently in only a few hours? Has _she _changed him? It must have been her.

Amanda was sure that the reason for her father's unusual behavior was that dark-haired witch, who even convinced him to leave his daughter behind in order to have him all to herself.

The little girl was furious and needed to let out her anger, so she jumped out of the bed and was determined to go after her Dad when all of a sudden she heard loud noises coming from the bathroom.

"Dad?" No response followed. Instead, it sounded like someone was choking in there.

Anxiously, Amanda stepped closer to the door and concentrated on the weird noises.

Yes, there was definitely someone throwing up, but was it her Dad?

Now, she was worried and needed to know what was going on. Her heart was racing when she reached for the door knob, but like she had assumed, it was locked.

After a few minutes she heard someone flushing the toilet and naturally Amanda wanted to get out of sight, but she was too slow.

The thin wooden door was torn wide open and in its frame stood no other than Victoria Grayson.

The little girl felt the instinct to run away as fast as she could, but for some reason she was frozen to the spot and was once again staring into the dark brown eyes of the woman from next door.

A shiver ran down her spine when Mrs Grayson didn't move and kept peering right into Amanda's soul - or at least the girl felt like she did.

They were both equally shocked about each other's presence and remained silent.

It was in those moments of silence that Amanda recognized how exhausted the woman in front of her looked. She was neither wearing one of her gorgeous dresses nor did she hide her face behind tons of make-up.

Mrs Grayson just stood there with a face as pale as a ghost, her hair up in a messy ponytail and wet streaks sticking to her cheeks.

In contrast to the glamorous and ever-smiling woman Amanda and the rest of the world knew, Victoria Grayson looked like an ordinary person right in that moment.

A human person, a _real_ person, was what was coming to the girl's mind first.

Luckily, David came back at exactly the right time dissolving the uncomfortable situation.

"Amanda, Victoria? Are you alright?" He closed the door of the room and moved towards the bathroom.

Victoria shook her head and answered. "Yes, of course. Amanda just wanted to freshen up in there." Then she smiled at David's daughter like nothing had happened and stepped out of the door.

"She's right, Dad." The 9-year-old confirmed when she saw her father's questioning look.

"Okay, we'll leave in 15 minutes. I already put our bags back into the car."

Oh, so that was why their suitcases weren't up here anymore. Her father did not intent to leave her behind but rather make her spend who knows how much time with that witch and her son.

Amanda didn't know which idea made her angrier, so she just banged the door and locked herself in the bathroom.

"She'll calm down, I'm sure." David said when he saw how terrified Victoria looked.

"Hopefully." She answered and started rubbing her temples.

"Hey, are you okay?" David placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her face.

"Yeah, I am, why?" She removed her hands from her temples crossing her arms in front of her chest demonstratively.

"Because you look extremely pale and your legs are shaking, that's why!"

Victoria was not in the mood to put up a fight so she decided to explain. "It's the morning sickness, okay? I can handle that, so don't worry. Plus, I haven't slept well in the last few days. I just need to sit down for a moment." She didn't want to admit it but she really felt dizzy and faint since she had woken up this morning.

The perfect man he always was, David guided her to sit down on the bed and held her hand which he noticed was cold and sweaty.

Victoria closed her eyes forcing herself to feel better.

"Are you sure, you still want to go on this crazy road trip, Victoria? Don't you think it might be too stressful for you? I mean in your state you shouldn't…"

David was interrupted by Victoria squeezing his hand and leaning forward to him

"I told you, you don't have to worry about me." Then she began to whisper. "And the baby will also be fine. It's not my first pregnancy. I know what I can do and what I can't. When I was pregnant with Daniel I even went to all those events with Conrad and you have to believe me that travelling in a car and sleeping in cheap motels is definitely not as stressful as being forced into too tight dresses and heels and then faking to be friends with people you don't even know."

David was obviously convinced by her confidence and tried to forget about his concerns. "Alright, but you have to promise me that you'll tell me if you don't feel well and that you'll see a doctor regularly."

"Of course I will, David! I'd never put the health of our child at risk!" The sound of those words was still strange to both of them. _Our child. _They couldn't quite believe it.

"Well, when I was downstairs I called Roger and he gave me the address where we'll meet him in half an hour." David explained when he saw Daniel waking up and crawling onto his mother's lap.

"Where are we going Mommy?" He wanted to know sleepily. "And where's Dad? I thought we would spend the holidays together."

Victoria didn't know what to answer. She didn't want to scare her son and exchanged a clueless look with David.

"Daniel, listen to me." She then began hoping to find the right words. "We are just taking some time off. You'll see your Dad soon enough… I guess." The 6-year-old was apparently satisfied with the response he got and didn't ask any further questions.

Amanda on the other hand refused to go anywhere but back home.

It took David some really good parenting skills to make her leave bathroom and a great deal of patience to convince her to get into the car again.

When they finally arrived to meet Roger Halsted, they were at least 30 minutes late.

They found themselves at a small parking lot nearby a forest where they recognized Roger waiting in a black Jeep.

He started walking into their direction and shook hands with Victoria and David as they eventually reached him.

"I'm so sorry we're late." David apologized and glanced back at his car to an offended looking Amanda.

"Never mind, I'm just glad you're all here." Roger returned and pulled two identity cards out of his bag. "As you've requested Mrs Grayson."

"Thank you so much, Mr Halsted." Victoria gratefully accepted the IDs and showed them to David.

"Carolyn and Bryan Meyer?" David read out their fake names.

"Yes, you'll have to practice saying that now." Victoria assured. "And Amanda and Daniel are our children so you'll also have to pretend that you're married to me."

David smirked at the idea of Victoria being his wife. He wished that someday she would become Mrs Clarke for real and they would have this traditional wedding and raise their beautiful children together in a small house with a garden where they would grow plants and enjoy homemade lemonade on hot summer days. He would earn enough money to provide for his family and maybe they would even buy a dog and live happily ever after.

"David? Are you still with us?" He had been carried away by his fantasy and was now facing Victoria who was already in possession of the key to their new car.

"What? Yes, sure I am." He quickly answered. "I'll get our bags and you'll take care of the children okay?"

After they had changed cars it was time to say goodbye to their accomplice.

"Thank you for helping us. I really do hope that Conrad won't turn to you when he notices that we're gone." David voiced what was also one of Victoria's biggest concerns.

"Trust me, I'll remain silent." Roger reassured.

"Thank you again, Mr Halsted, for being so loyal to me and not to my husband. I promise you, you'll get your reward when all of this is over." Victoria shook hands with the Grayson Global employee being aware of the fact that they both knew more about their actual mission than David did.

"Anything for you, Mrs Grayson. I hope that you two will find happiness together." He smiled at them before finally saying goodbye. "And now have a save trip. I'm praying for you."

It was quiet in the car when David started the engine. He turned around and waited for Victoria to give him confirmation. She simply nodded. It was enough for him to drive off and away from the Hamptons.

During the long ride his thoughts always came back to his fantasy of them being a family.

It seemed more real to him than ever and yet he feared the obstacles they still had to overcome which were endangering his vision of their perfect future together.

* * *

**Not my best work, I know, but I just needed to write this chapter so I can finally write some fun Conrad stuff in the next one! **


	5. The Wrong Enemy

**Author's note: **I dedicate this chapter to Conrad Grayson, who was definitely the most interesting and versatile character of the show (just after Victoria of course ;)). I still can't believe that the writers decided to kill him. He never ceased to entertain us with his witty comments, his develish plans and of course with the epic ConVict fights. Revenge will never be the same without him. R.I.P.

Please enjoy and review :)

* * *

Who did that godforsaken woman think she was?

Conrad Grayson was seething with rage pacing up and down his study like a predator.

In his hand he held a glass of his oldest Scotch, the best way to calm his nerves in exceptional situations like the one he was facing right in that moment.

_Damn it! Damn her! And above all: Damn that idiot of an employee David Clarke!_

Conrad took a big gulp of the strong alcohol before he smashed the glass on the table wrathfully.

It had taken him until late afternoon to draw the conclusion that his wife was not just on a long and unannounced shopping trip, but had rather decided to leave with her not-so-secret lover-boy.

And not only that, she had also managed to get their son out of boarding school to drag him into this… this… Conrad didn't even know how to call it so he decided for _mess. _Yes, this was definitely a _mess._

His breathing got heavier as he started to think about his wife and son being with David Clarke right now. He needed to sit in his comfortable desk chair and come up with a plan, but as soon as he settled in a seating position, an unpleasant memory snapped back to his mind.

Conrad had been sitting in that chair the evening he had first smelled_ him_ on Victoria.

She had come home later than usual claiming she had been at a friend's but Conrad had been able to tell that she was lying right away.

He had not only noticed a man's cologne on her when he had kissed her good night, but he had also recognized that look on her face. A look, he had once been very familiar with since she was always wearing it after sex. Just like her messy which she had failed to fix properly.

Nevertheless, Conrad hadn't said a word that evening, because he had assumed that with whomever she had slept would've been some meaningless one-night stand serving to bring more excitement into her life.

The following weeks, Conrad had still let her believe that he didn't suspect anything, although it had become clear that his wife had been meeting the same man for quite some time.

That had been the reason why he had started investigating in order to find out who she was having the affair with before punishing her for her discrepancy.

The moment Frank had told him that Victoria's lover was in fact his new employee at Grayson Global, that naïve single Dad, David Clarke, Conrad had lost his nerves.

It had all come down to one night when she had come home late not even bothering to find an excuse for her absence so that Conrad simply hadn't been able to hold back his anger anymore.

He had started screaming at Victoria pushing her against their bedroom wall and violently grabbing her wrists. He had explained to her that he knew everything about her affair with Mr Clarke and that she had to end it immediately.

Victoria however had protested making him remember all of his own infidelities and stating that she had the right to do the same.

After that Conrad recalled that he had shouted at his wife calling her a "whore", a "home wrecker" and worst of all "a bad mother".

Victoria had been crying the whole time and when he had finally left her bedroom, he had still been able to hear her heart wrenching sobs from the room down the hall.

As it appeared, that night had not only been crucial in terms of their wrecked marriage but also because from then on everything had started falling apart.

Victoria had permanently ignored her husband not even giving him one of her icy glares and on top of it all she had also continued to see David.

However, Conrad hadn't found the time to fix the relationship to his wife, because he had been occupied with work since someone had discovered that Grayson Global had been laundering money for the terrorists who had brought down Flight 197.

That meant that his whole existence was in absolute danger.

He couldn't admit to supporting terrorists. That would ruin his company and more importantly he would have to go to jail.

Giving up was definitely not an option, so Conrad had decided that it was finally time to punish his wife and demonstrate his power over her.

One thing he had not taken into account beforehand was the option of Victoria telling him that she was actually in love with David Clarke and therefore refused to assist in framing him.

Nevertheless, Conrad hadn't believed her and had threatened to take Daniel away from her and to throw her out on the streets if she didn't stick to his plan.

He knew that with those words he had hit her weak spot and he had been satisfied when Victoria had finally agreed to help him.

But as it seemed, she had only been bluffing.

Conrad got out of his chair again staring out of the window into their beautiful garden.

There was so much anger inside of him, he was balling his fists and throwing them against one of the windows.

How could she do this to him? After everything he had given to her?

Conrad lowered his head and closed his eyes trying to control his temper.

It was then that he noticed that beside from anger, he was also feeling something different.

A feeling so much more powerful than pure aggression. It was jealousy.

Victoria had been his for all those years now and he couldn't bear to think of her with another man.

But Conrad Grayson also realized that his jealousy was based on yet another emotion.

An emotion he usually tried to push aside but when it came to his wife he just couldn't deny it.

It was love.

He loved Victoria.

Truly and unconditionally.

He always had since the first time he had seen her in that little art gallery.

When he opened his eyes again looking into the garden, it became even more obvious to him.

She was everywhere and so was his love for her.

She had picked those flower arrangements and that strange sculpture which had cost him a fortune but he had bought it anyway because she had been fascinated by it.

He remembered Victoria relaxing in one of their designer chaise lounges in the patio when she had been pregnant with Daniel and how happy she had looked when she had finally had the chance to show their baby boy all the different plants and animals.

The only mistake Conrad had made was taking it all for granted.

He had slept with many different women in the time of their marriage expecting Victoria to accept it and play the devoted wife.

But she had always been a wild creature.

In fact, it had taken him a lot of time, care and love to tame her, to make her the Victoria Grayson she was today.

And after some time, Conrad had forgotten about the wild creature she had once been and assumed she had become just like all the other boring wives of businessmen or politicians.

Her affair with David Clarke was proof enough to show that that was definitely not the case.

Conrad knew exactly that his wife needed a great deal of attention, love and appreciation which he had failed to give to her, so she had sought comfort in the arms of David Clarke.

However, he did not expect the bond between them to be strong enough to make Victoria risk her social status, wealth and even the future of her son.

Quickly, Conrad turned back to his desk picking up two picture frames.

One was showing him and Victoria on their wedding day. She was wearing an opulent Dior dress, altered to fit her perfectly, and Conrad was in a simple black suit admiring his beautiful bride.

It was not their official wedding photo and only a snapshot taken right after the ceremony had been held, but it still was Conrad's favorite picture of them.

He remembered how brightly Victoria had smiled at him the moment they had stepped out of the church and how he had thought that that was the woman he would start a family and spend the rest of his life with.

The other picture also captured a meaningful moment in Conrad's life.

He had taken it himself when they had brought Daniel home from the hospital and had decided to send the whole staff home to enjoy some family time.

A slight smile crept on Conrad's face as he remembered how exhausted Victoria had been but nevertheless had insisted on showing their newborn son the Manor while he was still awake.

"_He's only 32 hours old, Victoria." _He had laughed at how enthusiastic his wife had been.

"_I know, but that doesn't mean that he's stupid. I think he wants to know where he's going to live. Right Daniel?" _She had looked down at the little boy in her arms, proudly caressing his tiny cheek.

Before she had turned around to start walking around the house, Conrad had taken the photo he was now holding in his hands.

He sighed.

Victoria had always been a natural with children.

In the first weeks with Daniel at home, Conrad had cut back at work in order to be with his family.

He had never quite known how to hold his son, how to bath him or what to do if he wouldn't stop crying. But Victoria had shown him everything.

It had always fascinated him that she could take care of Daniel all on her own, knowing exactly what he needed and when. Conrad had assumed she wanted to have a nanny, just like he had one as a child, so that she would have more time for herself, but Victoria had refused that offer claiming she didn't want a stranger raising her son.

Conrad often thought that his wife must have been a mother in a previous life, because she seemed so experienced when it came to taking care of Daniel.

Suddenly, he was forced back to reality by the loud ringing of his phone.

He put the two picture frames back on his desk and answered the call.

"Grayson." He cleared his throat trying to focus again.

"Hello, Mr Grayson, this is Mrs Davis. I…" It was inevitable to hear the nervousness in the young woman's voice. "I… I just wanted to inform you that Mr Clarke did not show up at the office this morning and that I am not able to reach him. He has not left a message for us either…"

"Thank you, Mrs Davis." Conrad interrupted his employee's secretary. "I have to discuss a very important matter with you. You need to drop by my private home immediately. I'll send you a car. It's extremely urgent."

Before she could ask any further questions, Conrad hung up the phone being pleased with the unexpected turning of events.

If his own wife denied him a false testimony accusing David Clarke of all the illegal actions concerning the downing of Flight 197, then at least his secretary would be easily influenced and save him from going to jail.

Conrad knew that blonde woman sitting behind her desk in front of David's office greeting him every morning with an insecure smile.

He was sure that she was just the right person to back up his story of David Clarke being a ruthless terrorist using Grayson Global to steal enough money and then disappearing to make Conrad take the blame for the tragedy of Flight 197.

Yes, that sounded like a reasonable theory to him.

And as for his wife and his son, he would get them back at all costs.

After convincing Mrs Davis to carry out his plan, he would call his security experts and PR-managers to develop a strategy to not only find Victoria, but also preserve their image as the golden couple of the Hamptons.

That bastard David Clarke had to pay for taking the most precious persons in his life away from him.

Conrad would make sure that he suffered more than he ever had in his miserable existence.

As he poured himself another glass of Scotch he couldn't help but smile at the cruelty of his plan.

_You definitely chose the wrong enemy, Mr Clarke._


	6. Facing Reality

**Author's note: **Hey :) I don't even know how this chapter ended up being so long, but I just sat down and wrote and suddenly all of those ideas came to my mind. It also presents a change of dynamic between Victoria and David and is crucial for the next chapters. So please enjoy reading and leave a review.

* * *

Victoria's stomach turned as the smell of French fries and greasy burgers reached her sensible nose.

She had only agreed to eat at this Diner somewhere outside of Indianapolis because of Amanda and Daniel.

They had talked about their favorite bacon and cheese burgers all day long and finally David had given in and stopped at this Diner in the evening.

Now Victoria was uncomfortably seated on a red plastic bench while she had to watch her son, Amanda and even David eat the unhealthy food.

She could feel the sweat dripping from her forehead and her bare legs sticking to the seat beneath her. Only God knew who else had sat there before her, also leaving his sweat on the synthetic material. The thought of that made her stomach even sorer than it already was.

She definitely shouldn't have worn shorts.

But then again the air conditioner of their car was broken and the hot summer weather had almost killed her on the road today. David had freaked out when Victoria had almost fainted at a gas station since she hadn't eaten anything the whole day. She had tried to explain to him that it was too hot for her to eat, but nevertheless he had managed to make her order a salad for dinner.

However, Victoria was not quite sure that the green lettuce leaves and the equally green tomatoes on the plate in front of her deserved to be called a mixed salad.

Therefore she only half-heartedly poked around her plate with a fork in her hand and a disgusted expression on her face.

"Are you alright, Vic?" David asked and turned to Victoria with the burger still in his grip.

"There's ketchup in your face." Victoria noticed and pointed to the corner of David's mouth.

"Oh." He used his finger to swipe the sauce away. "Better?" It wasn't exactly his best idea to smile at her in that moment.

"Oh God." Victoria shot up from her seat dropping the fork on the floor. "Excuse me."

She ran off to the toilet keeping herself from throwing up right on the black and white floor in the middle of the restaurant.

Instead she found herself kneeling in front of a not-so-clean looking toilet seat losing the very last contents of her stomach. She still felt sick and leaned back to rest her head against the door.

This was horrible. Victoria knew that something was wrong. She had never felt that bad during her pregnancy with Daniel, but seeing a doctor would arouse suspicion and thus make it easier for Conrad to track them down.

She let out a desperate sigh when suddenly she heard someone entering the bathroom, which meant she had to get up since there was only one toilet seat installed.

As she tried to move upwards, Victoria had to steady herself by gripping the wall because she felt even dizzier than she had before rushing off to the bathroom. Clumsily she fixed her ponytail and flushed the toilet.

Outside the door she found an impatient young woman noisily chewing gum and rolling her eyes at her as she stepped out of the door.

"I thought you died in there or something. I have a date waiting for me." The blonde woman complained and slammed the door.

Taken aback by her rude behavior, Victoria didn't reply and simply washed her hands to get rid of all the bacteria.

_I felt like I did. _She thought to herself. _I felt like I died in there. And who the hell goes on a date in a place like this?!_

With a shake of the head she entered the Diner again and was painfully reminded of the smell that had made her sick in the first place. She just hated that greasy fast food. Ever since she had been forced to eat it as a child when she had been too young to cook for herself and her mother hadn't cared about what she was eating, it felt like poison to her.

On the way back to their table, Victoria crossed the counter where she could detect a small TV in one corner.

She did not really pay attention to the news program until she suddenly recognized her house being shown on the screen.

She abruptly stopped and stepped closer so that she could hear what they were talking about.

"Drama in the Hamptons.", the news speaker stated with fake amazement in her voice. "Conrad Grayson, CEO of New York City investment firm Grayson Global, is in shock. As we already reported, his wife, Victoria Grayson, had mysteriously disappeared two days ago, but now it turns out that the mystery has been solved. Mrs Grayson's sudden disappearance is by no means a coincidence, but reportedly part of the plan of a disloyal Grayson Global employee. The suspect is no other than Top-Level Hedge Fund Executive David Clarke, who at first deprived Grayson's company of a huge amount of money supporting the terrorists that are responsible for the tragedy of Flight 197 and then also kidnapped his wife and son Daniel Grayson. There is no information on the reasons for Mr Clarke's criminal actions or on the whereabouts of Mr Grayson's relatives yet. However, we taped an exclusive interview with Mr Grayson earlier today."

On the screen then appeared a reporter standing in the living room of Grayson Manor.

"Mr Grayson, I think I speak for all of us if say that we feel deeply sorry for you and your family. "

Next to the reporter stood Conrad, seemingly sick with worry, and wearing a black suit.

"Thank you." He said his eyes facing the ground.

"Mr Grayson, would you like to give details on the attack of your company as well as on your family yourself then?"

"Yes, of course." Conrad took the microphone and began to talk. "As it appears, I gave my trust away too easily. Mr Clarke was one of my best employees and I was happy to have found someone responsible enough to take over some of my tasks at the office. Obviously, that was a mistake. He took advantage of my generosity to not only steal my money but also kidnap my wife and 6-year-old son." At this point Conrad made a dramatic pause and cleared his throat. "I have been deceived by this cruel man, who is now holding my family hostage. But I will do everything to find them and deliver justice in the case of the criminal David Clarke."

The reporter took back the microphone and ended the interview. "Thank you, Mr Grayson for taking the time to speak with us."

After that a blonde woman appeared in the right corner of the screen and handed Conrad a tissue.

A few seconds later, back in the studio, two photos were shown in the background.

"The police ask the citizens' to provide relevant information on the case. If you see one of these persons, please do not hesitate to report it immediately at a police station in your town. And now…"

Victoria grabbed the edge of the counter.

David's and her photo had just been shown on national TV.

Her husband was seriously selling this ridiculous story to the press, but Victoria knew that most people were stupid enough to believe in what a successful man in a suit and with family values was telling them.

Her stomach turned around again.

They were in concrete danger from now on. The police searched for them and she was sure that Conrad also used his private detectives and security men to track them down.

Maybe her plan was not so thought out after all. Maybe David would be behind bars in the next two days already and she wouldn't be able to figure out a way to get him out of there.

There were more and more disturbing scenarios popping up in her head, so Victoria decided to head back to the table. David would get mad if he found out about them being on the news, so she forced herself to stay quiet.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" David asked as she took the seat next to him again.

"No, not exactly." Victoria answered and reached for his hand. "I think it's better if we leave and find us a hotel."

She smiled at Amanda and Daniel. "You two finish your burgers and then we'll look for something nice to stay for tonight."

Daniel nodded and quickly grabbed a handful of French fries to stuff them into his mouth.

In contrast to him, Amanda dropped her burger and voiced her protest. "But I want a real bed this time." The girl glared at her father and Victoria. "And my own room."

David then exchanged an approving look with Victoria.

"We'll try to find a better hotel, Amanda. Just finish your burger before it's too late and we don't have the chance to get any room at all."

Amanda was apparently satisfied with the response she got and concentrated on her meal again. She knew how to push her father's buttons and right now she only needed some privacy and distance from Mrs Grayson and her son.

* * *

After they had left the Diner, they were lucky enough to find a small hotel outside of the city. It was run by an elderly couple, who offered them to stay in one of their guest apartments. Victoria and David gratefully accepted that offer, although it actually went over their budget. But given Amanda's bad mood and the unbearable heat, they considered it a good idea to spend some time apart.

Amanda entered the apartment first and was overwhelmed by the pinkness of the room.

There were pink plush pillows everywhere and the huge bed in the middle of it all even had a heart-shaped frame at its back.

She quickly took her suitcase and opened the wooden door leading into the other, smaller bedroom, which was also nothing but bright and pink, but still better than sharing a room with Victoria Grayson.

"This is my room! Good night!" Amanda declared and shut the door behind her.

"Well, okay, sweet dreams, Amanda." David replied, also pretty bewildered by the interior of the apartment.

"Where's my room, Mom?" Daniel wanted to know, apparently jealous of Amanda's advantage.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but I guess you have to sleep on the sofa bed." Victoria explained and pointed at the velvet sofa at the side of the apartment.

"Why does Amanda have her own bedroom and I haven't? That's so unfair!" The boy shouted and stared at his mother angrily.

"I know, Daniel, but I can't change that right now." Victoria tried to soothe her son and caressed his dark hair.

"You could change that, Mom! I always have my own room! Even, when we were on vacation in Europe, Dad always paid for an extra room for me!"

That felt like a slap right in Victoria's face. Of course, Conrad had always made sure Daniel got everything he wanted so he wasn't used to sacrificing. But he had to learn it sooner or later.

"Daniel, please, it's only for one night." She grabbed the hands of her son, but he stepped back immediately.

Before he could open his mouth again, David interfered. "So Daniel, you say you want some privacy just like Amanda?"

The boy nodded.

"How about you stay here and watch some TV or do whatever you like and your mother and I go downstairs to sit in the garden of the hotel and when we come back it'll be late enough for you to fall asleep on that sofa bed right away. So, how does that sound to you?"

"Okay." Daniel accepted and started looking for the remote control. David's offer for him to watch TV had obvioulsy been enough to distract the 6-year-old.

"But promise me, that you'll stay in the room, Daniel, okay?" Victoria put the pillows down from the bed and turned the TV so that her son would have no reason to get up any time soon.

"Yep, Mom." He climbed onto the bed and switched on the TV.

"I love you, Daniel. See you later." She pressed a kiss to her son's forehead and then grabbed David's hand before they finally left the room.

* * *

"Thank you so much." Victoria said and kissed David tenderly when they were seated at one of the tables in the hotel's patio.

"I know how children can be sometimes. Just look at Amanda." David assured and gently squeezed his lover's hand.

"I understand them. This must be so frightening for them. Leaving home from one minute to the other without knowing where they are going." Victoria sighed and reached out her other hand to David. She just wanted to be close to him right in that moment. To feel his arms wrapped around her body keeping her safe and humble.

Instinctively, David entwined his hand with Victoria's. He would have loved to lift her up and let her sit on his lap, but there were too many other guests sipping their drinks and making pointless conversation.

"I know. It must be hard for them, but I'm sure they'll get used to us being together." He smiled and placed a kiss on the palm of Victoria's right hand.

"I hope so." She replied reveling in the soft touch of David's lips on her skin.

"You're hands are trembling, Vic." David noticed and looked at his lover worriedly. "You still haven't eaten properly. I'll get you something. What do you want?"

"I don't think they're still serving dinner here."

"I don't care, I'll get you something to eat whether you like it or not. So?" David stood up expecting an answer.

"Well, I'll take a salad then. I mean a real salad. Not that waste they served at that Diner." Victoria almost laughed at how much David cared for her and her health. It had been some time since a man had gotten so protective over her.

"I'll be right back" And with those words he headed towards the kitchen and left Victoria alone at their table.

She leaned back to relax in her chair and started observing the other people sitting around her.

There were mainly couples, she noticed immediately, and most of them were either laughing, in deep conversation or exchanging romantic gestures. Basically, they were all normal people enjoying their evening free from work, their family or what other responsibilities they had in their lives.

Victoria began to wonder if David and she could ever be like that.

Just a normal couple.

Just two people sharing a life and the love they had for one another.

Without social pressure or the fear of being caught by the police.

She wanted their unborn child to be raised in a healthy family environment and to experience the security she had never had throughout her childhood and even in adulthood she had struggled to keep her life on track most of the time.

That was exactly why Victoria was afraid that she could never provide a stable family life for any of her children. If she herself as a mother and role model had such a troubled personality, how could her children ever look up to her and expect to receive a good piece of advice?

Once, she had thought that marrying Conrad and having all the money in the world would solve her problems, but she had to discover that her life was destined to get out of hand, no matter which social class she belonged to.

She could only hope that trusting her heart for once would turn out to be the right decision.

She really wanted her relationship with David to work because of the one thing she was sure of: She loved that man.

Right in that moment, David came back to their table making Victoria smile brightly.

Against her expectations, David did not return that smile. Instead, he leaned down to her and whispered into her ear.

He then took her hand and led her out of the garden and into a remote hallway.

* * *

Irritated by the sudden change of his temper, Victoria approached him directly.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so nervous?"

David looked around to secure that there was no one listening to them.

"Vic, you won't believe what I just saw on TV."

Oh God, now she could imagine what this was about.

"Well, what was it?" She pretended not to suspect anything.

"Us." David stared at her, still mortified by the lies that had been spread about him on TV.

Victoria tried to sound dumbfounded. "What? I… I don't understand."

David swallowed and rested his hands on her shoulders. "There was this interview with Conrad and he told the whole nation that I kidnapped you and Daniel and that I've been laundering money for terrorists. The police are searching for us now. I have to go back and defend myself, Vic."

"No, no, you can't do that!" That was exactly what she had been trying to avoid the whole time. He couldn't win against Conrad.

"But I have to! Running from the authorities will only arouse more suspicion!" David explained, not quite sure why Victoria didn't want him to return to the Hamptons.

"But you will end up in jail for something that Conrad has done, don't you get it?" Victoria immediately regretted saying that. David didn't know that Conrad himself had supported those terrorists. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Slowly, the whole story began to dawn on David.

"You knew about that?" He stepped back from his lover.

"David, I only…" Victoria tried to explain herself, but David cut her off.

"Don't try to justify your actions now! Just tell me, have you known about Conrad's plan to frame me right from the beginning? Is that why you wanted to run away with me in the first place?" He glared at her knowing that her answer could only disappoint him.

"Yes." She whispered.

"I don't believe it!" He almost screamed and tore his hair out. "So you've been lying about this, about us, about our relationship, the whole time?"

"I just wanted to protect you! It was only a matter of time for Conrad to publish that story!" Victoria pointed out rationally.

"You don't need to protect me, Victoria! I should be the one to protect _you! _But you always have to control everything yourself! You, the strong and invincible Victoria Grayson! You don't even have enough faith in me to win that battle against Conrad!" David stared at her, frustration filling his eyes.

"David, please! You know that Conrad has enough money to bribe any judge in this world! I wanted to get away from him, because I thought that someone would discover Conrad's criminal actions if only there was some more time. That doesn't change anything about my feelings for you." Victoria revealed the ultimate intention behind her plan hoping that David would understand and more importantly forgive her.

Quite the opposite happened. As she approached him and tried to take his face into her hands, he shrugged her off roughly. She drew in a deep breath. He had never done this before. He had never rejected her.

"Victoria, how can you expect me to trust you now that I've found out that you've been lying to me every second we spent together?" He angrily kept his distance from her. But he was not only angry at her, he was also hurt. She hurt him in so many ways. He didn't know how to deal with that.

"I can't bear to look at you right now! Are you even pregnant or is that also only one of the lies you've been telling to make me fall for your _plan_?"

"No, I mean, of course I am pregnant!" Victoria was confused about how that TV interview had just shattered her plan and ruined her relationship with David.

He glared at her for a few more moments trying to figure out if she was being honest with him.

"David, I still want to be with you. More than anything else. I mean it."

Hearing Victoria's voice made him crazy. He loved her so much and still she had betrayed him.

That inner conflict drove him wild, he needed to do something.

"But you put my life at risk. In fact, you put all of our lives at risk! You can't possibly assume that there is any justification for not telling me that I am a wanted criminal!" And with that he simply turned on his heels and started walking away.

Victoria ran after him trying to grab his arm and hold him back. "David! Where are you going? You have to stay here!" She practically clung to his side like a little girl, but he pushed her away.

"Stop telling me what to do! I need to think, just leave me alone and take care of the kids." He was out of the door of the hotel within the next second while Victoria remained frozen to the spot in the lobby.

Had they really just fought that bad?

It was all her fault _again_.

Like he had said, she always wanted to be the strong one in a relationship, she needed to know that everything was under her control. Giving the power to someone else meant losing to her. It meant being that poor little girl somewhere out on the streets again. And certainly, she would never go back to that.

She couldn't change that part of her although because of that she managed to drive everyone away. Maybe she was not predestined love or to be loved, maybe David leaving her was what she deserved.

That was also the biggest question in her mind: Had he just left her? Was he coming back?

Victoria saw the only solution in waiting and making sure that both Amanda and Daniel would not notice his absence.

Thus, she climbed up the stairs to their apartment while for the first time that day she felt a hole in her stomach. She was hungry.

What she craved for, however, was not food.

It was David. She already craved for his touch, his warm embrace and his caring nature.

But thanks to her egoistic behavior she had jeopardized all that or in the worst case, maybe lost it forever.

* * *

**Soooooo I hope you liked the chapter although it's so long. **

**Don't forget to leave a review, they mean the world to me. :)**

**I'd also like to know which characters you want me to focus on or what other characters you want me to include in the story. **

**I'll take those suggestions into consideration when I continue writing.**


	7. Take Care

**Author's note: **Thanks for all of your lovely reviews again :) I'm currently re-considering the development of the whole story, but I promise to update as soon as I've got everything sorted out in my head.  
Btw: This chapter is inspired by Florence and the Machine's song "Take Care". Some of the lyrics respond very well to Victoria's and David's relationship.  
But now enjoy :)

* * *

Conrad Grayson was quite pleased with himself.

Playing the loving husband and father whose trust had been betrayed by a two-faced employee had definitely been the right choice.

He was sitting in his study enjoying a late night drink which had sort of become a new habit of his.

Conrad had been astonished about how easy it had been to convince David Clarke's secretary Lydia Davis to help him spin the heartbreaking story they were telling the world. In fact, a secure position in the company and a check had been enough to make her report all kinds of fake meetings with potential terrorists or question the accuracy of David's accounting. Once, she had seen all the benefit resulting from that deal, she had forgotten about her loyalty to Mr Clarke instantly.

Conrad wished that Victoria would act just like her. The odd thing was that usually his wife was open to any form of bribery if it worked for her advantage. In the case of David Clarke however her brain seemed to make her take entirely different decisions.

Reminded of the more than complicated situation with Victoria, he took another sip from the Bourbon in his glass.

Conrad didn't want to admit it but the alcohol made him feel better. In a way, it helped him lift the weight off his shoulders and feel optimistic about reuniting his family again. As a child he had always wondered why his father had been drinking alone in the living room but now he understood.

Glancing down at the well-written press statement lying on his desk in front of him, he couldn't help but smile. He imagined how devastated David must be thanks to his tearful TV appearance including several destructive accusations against him. He also liked to imagine Victoria panicking and calling him to beg him to leave Daniel and her out of the whole trial.

Yes, Conrad was sure that his wife would soon surrender, given the gloomy future that her lover was inevitably facing. It was only a matter of time until she would contact him, desperately wanting her old life back.

As if on cue, the phone started ringing just that moment.

_My dear, I'd be glad to welcome you back home. _Conrad thought to himself, confidently picking up the receiver.

"Yes, Grayson." He murmured while taking another gulp from the crystal glass in his hand.

"You will pay for this, Conrad Grayson." A low voice came from the other end of the line.

Conrad decided to listen before he could say something stupid.

"I know that it was you who laundered that money. You won't get away with that. Justice will be delivered as you so appropriately pointed out."

Instinctively Conrad let a smile creep across his face as he recognized his biggest rival's voice.

"Ah, Mr Clarke, I'm honored that you're calling me because obviously my strategy seems to work."

There was a short time of silence after that. David regretted being so driven by his anger when he realized that he was playing right into Conrad's hands.

"Hello, Mr Clarke, are you still there?" Conrad mocked already feeling in a superior position.

"No one will believe that I am a terrorist, Mr Grayson. That is simply ridiculous. And if you ask your wife, she will tell the truth about us, about everything that you've put us through." David tried to stay calm but it was hard for him to sound self-assured while he couldn't even be certain that his relationship with Victoria would survive this crisis.

Conrad chuckled. "Oh I'm not sure about that. See, it's pretty stupid of you to call me, the man who hates you more than anyone else in this world, because you make it so much easier for me to determine your location now.  
Mr Clarke, I had thought more of you. I imagined you to be sort of smarter since you've seduced _my_ wife, as _you _so appropriately pointed out, and kidnapped my son. I can only assume now that the credits for the whole thing belong to Victoria's sharp mind after all. If there's one thing I'm 100 percent sure of, it's that my charming wife is more intelligent than most people expect her to be. Speaking of the devil: How is Victoria?" He paused for a second, but David obviously didn't know how to respond so he continued. "Has she already lost interest in using you as her little puppet? Is she already complaining about how she can't eat at her favorite restaurant or buy that new Dior dress? I for one feel sorry for her. Being with a penniless man has never been her preferred kind of lifestyle."

David was fuming. That call definitely didn't go the way he had wanted it to go. Thus he tried to prevent more damage. "This is senseless. Just remember that I will fight and won't go down because of you or your money, Mr Grayson. Good bye."

Conrad then let out a loud laugh. "Very impressive, Mr Clarke. Just one more second." He said ironically. "Would you be so kind and tell my lovely wife that I miss her and my darling son very much and that they can feel free to return home whenever they like. Better sooner than later though."

"You're a sick man." And with that David aggressively ended the call but not before Conrad could make his vision of the future clear to him. "See you behind bars, Mr Clarke."

The last thing David heard was Conrad Grayson's cruel laugh and the echo of his diminishing choice of words being stuck in his head.

* * *

Victoria's eyelids fluttered open as she awoke from her restless sleep.

She couldn't remember drifting off to the land of dreams as her thoughts had constantly been circling around the great danger she had put David in.

However, she was lying in bed now with her short summer nightgown on and Daniel resting in her arms.

It was still dark outside and when she tried to sit up a bit she also noticed that she still felt bad.  
Very bad. She had hoped that David would have come back within the next hour after their fight but he had stayed away leaving Victoria to nothing but the blame she placed on herself for deceiving him. Luckily, the room had air conditioning so at least the heat of the day was not afflicting her anymore.

Slowly she moved Daniel from her arms onto the fluff pillows and sat up wrapping her arms around her knees. What was she to do now? She couldn't bear David breaking up with her and then seeing him being framed as a ruthless terrorist.

Although it was probably the worst possibility of all, she felt the urge to call Conrad and tell him that she was willing to come back home with Daniel if he dropped the case against David and looked for a different solution to resolve the scandal instead. Of course, she wouldn't be able to be with David then, but at least he could move on with his life as a free man and she could go back to being rich but unhappy and somehow make her husband believe that the child she was carrying was his.

It sounded so easy but deep down in her heart Victoria felt that the only thing she truly wanted was to be with David regardless of all the difficulties that stood in their way.

She sighed heavily when suddenly a voice pulled her out of her self-destructive thoughts.

"Victoria?" He asked soberly.

"Yes? David?" Her voice was spilling with relief. He had come back after all, but she hadn't noticed because she had been asleep.

"Come over here." He demanded in a serious tone.

Therefore Victoria simply obeyed and slipped out of bed to make her way towards David who was resting on the sofa at the other end of the room.

When she reached the pink piece of furniture, she stood there like an insecure teenager brushing her long dark hair.

"Come on, don't pretend to be shy now." David pulled back the thin sheets and indicated Victoria to lie down next to him.

Without saying a word she crawled onto the couch not quite sure how to act.

She studied his face analyzing every little wrinkle that could possibly reveal his current state of mind. Much to her dissatisfaction, he kept his poker face and only lay in silence peering at her with his hypnotic blue eyes.

"Are you still mad?" She finally asked innocently.

David let out a sigh. "Of course I am. I've been betrayed by so many people and in so many ways. How could I not be mad?" He answered truthfully and immediately recognized the guilt shimmering in Victoria's dark brown eyes.

"I know. I am so sorry for ruining your life. If it wasn't for me, Conrad would've chosen to destroy someone else's existence." Victoria was ready to stand up again since she couldn't bear being anywhere near the man she had hurt so deeply.

"But it has been my own decision to be with you, Vic." David stopped her from leaving. "I've always known that someday I would have to face Conrad and risk my reputation being ruined. But I've also always known that you are worth it and that's why I've decided to forgive you, Vic. I know how stubborn you can be at times and that you only had the best for us in mind." He comfortingly wrapped his arms around his lover's body and pulled her close to him. "And of course also because I love you. I wouldn't go through all of this if I wasn't absolutely sure that you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. " David whispered and pressed a kiss on top of her head. He had decided beforehand not to mention his conversation with Conrad because he didn't want to stress Victoria more than their whole situation already had.

Victoria was amazed by David's good character and his unconditional love for her and she felt ashamed for seriously thinking about going back to Conrad only a few minutes ago.

"Are you sure David? I don't know if I'm able to forgive myself for what I've done to you and Amanda."

David noticed she was trembling again and pulled her even closer to him closing the space between their two bodies. Feeling her bare skin through the thin material of her night gown which ended just above her mid-thigh was enough to send shivers through his whole body.  
God, she was gorgeous. He never wanted to let her go. No matter what she did, he could never stay mad at her.

"David?" Victoria's hands wandered up to his neck where she began to gently stroke his blonde locks.

"It's necessary that you forgive yourself, Victoria. We need to be happy, we deserve that. No one should be able to ruin our relationship so easily. We have to be strong." He suddenly remembered what he originally wanted to say. "And I think we both know that we will be caught eventually. There is no way to escape Conrad and the police now, but I agree with you that we should try to run away from them as long as we can. We need that time to be together and figure out a way to defeat Conrad and his army of lawyers so that we can come out of this nightmare as a family." He pressed another tender kiss to her head as his hands soon found the hem of her nightgown sliding it up her body.

Victoria automatically let a gasp escape her mouth at the soft touch of his hands on her skin.

David smiled against her hair when he felt her grip tightening in his neck.

Victoria was caught by surprise as he stopped removing the gown just below her breasts. Instead he tilted her chin up causing her to look right into his eyes while he carefully placed a hand on her abdomen.

"I'm sorry for questioning you earlier, Vic. I didn't mean it, I was just so outraged. I won't let you down during your pregnancy. But you have to let me take care of you. I know that you're fierce and independent but please Victoria, don't deny me the chance to provide for this family and be a father our child can be proud of some day." He lovingly moved his hand over her body although her stomach was still pretty much flat.

"I promise." She whispered breathlessly focusing on his deep blue eyes. It was truly a miracle how this man could make her feel lost and hopeless one moment only to show her deep affection the next. In an instant she had forgotten about returning home to Grayson Manor because she realized in that moment that the only place that felt like home to her was David. She always felt safe and appreciated around him.

Not taking her eyes off his face, Victoria placed her hand on top of his feeling the adoration that shot through both of their bodies.

David then closed his lips around hers in a longing kiss which she naturally returned with the same passion. He started running his fingers up and down her exposed thigh until he carefully pulled her on top of him.

Victoria's breathing soon grew erratic when he encircled his arms around her back forcing her to stay close to his body so that his lips could make their way down from her face and to her cleavage gently sucking at her creamy flesh.

She was already fumbling with the waistband of his underwear when David took her hands and stopped her.

Irritated, she glanced up at her lover, desire clearly filling her eyes.

"I know. I'd love to continue, too." He laughed quietly guiding her down to lie next to him in a relaxed position again. "But I still need to tell you something." David kept his fear of also waking Daniel or Amanda to himself because he knew all too well that Victoria was a person who always voiced her pleasure quite noisily.

When he saw the disappointed expression painted all over her face, he began to explain himself. "You have to be aware of the fact that we can't continue our affair like we did in the Hamptons. We have to deal with serious problems now."

"Yes, I understand that." Victoria replied settling in David's intimate embrace.

"Okay, so listen to me, this is very important. When we get up in the morning, I want you to walk over to that cupboard." He pointed towards the door. Victoria didn't get what he was aiming at so she simply nodded waiting for further details.

"I placed a white envelope on there. You need to keep that envelope somewhere safe in your purse because it contains a phone number you'll have to dial sooner or later. When the time comes and I'll be arrested you'll have to call that number and ask for help. That's the only chance I can survive the case with the hope of not losing it right on the first day of the trial."

"Whose number is it?" Victoria wanted to know curiously.

"I can't tell you. You'll find out soon enough, I guess. Just do what I've told you, okay?" David caringly tucked one of her dark curls behind her ear.

"Yes, I will do anything to save you." She answered determinedly although she was still suspicious of why David was refusing her to reveal the person to whom the number belonged.

"Good." He pressed a thankful kiss onto her lips. "There's something else. Do you remember when I told you about my aunt Charlotte who owns that farm in Kansas?"

"Of course, you've always spoken very fondly of her." Again Victoria didn't know what exactly her lover had in mind.

"Well, I considered our options and I think it would be a good idea to visit her. Her house is big enough for all of us and situated in the middle of nowhere. It'll take them ages to find us there." A confident smile spread across David's face as he waited for Victoria's answer.

Given the lack of ideas on her own to solve their problems, she accepted his suggestion.

"I think you might be right. Let's take the kids and disappear." She quickly returned his smile.

"Trust me, that'll turn out great. We'll have our privacy there and I'm sure that Aunt Charlotte will be happy to help us. She's a great woman. Sleep well, Victoria. I love you." David instantly felt her body relaxing against his and her now steady breathing brushing against throat.

"I love you, too." She whispered before she drifted off to sleep again, desperately trying to believe that what he was promising her was true.  
But she knew that her husband would stop at nothing to track them down and once he had, he would rip them apart and make sure that David would never get out of jail again.

He wouldn't be able to take care of her then like he had promised, so as much as Victoria wanted to make him happy, she also had to prepare for what was coming at them in the nearer future and she certainly wouldn't rely on that mysterious phone number David had given her alone.

* * *

**Please don't forget to tell me what you think! xx**


	8. It's Over, Right? (1st Part)

**Author's note: **I actually wanted to post the next two chapters as one long chapter, but decided to split them to keep the tension up. Please enjoy and review. :)

* * *

The sun was about to set and illuminated the landscape in a deep orange.

The highway was filled with people coming from work and rushing home to see their families and friends.

In the middle of all those people, who probably had a perfectly average day, David Clarke found himself driving a car, which was not even his, with another man's wife and son. Not to forget that he was accused of staging a terrorist attack causing the death of 247 people.

One could easily describe him as a wanted criminal, an immoral person stealing his boss's family and a suspected mass murderer. But still, no matter how crazy it sounded, David felt content that very evening.

They had left early in the morning because they wanted to be in Kansas as soon as possible and much to their surprise everything had went smoothly. Even Amanda had stopped complaining as her father had told her about their plan to visit his aunt Charlotte and Daniel had been occupied with his Gameboy, which his mother had brought from home, anyway.

Of course he was still worried about Victoria, who tried to hide that she had been throwing up several times that day by claiming that she simply needed to use the toilet, but he decided it was best to wait until they reached his aunt's farm and then encourage her to see a doctor.

Right in that moment David was just happy, despite the given circumstances.

He was happy that Amanda and Daniel had at least found common ground in the video game they were playing and happy that the woman he loved was sitting next to him. Finally Victoria was able to relax in the passenger's seat putting her feet up to stretch her tired legs. David's hand rested on her thigh and her delicate fingers were entwined with his.  
It was a simple gesture but it was enough for them to show the love they held for one another and to feel that they were in this together, no matter what.  
David turned his head to the side and watched Victoria's pure skin glowing in the fading sunlight. Her eyes were closed and a light smile accentuated her full lips. He wondered what she was dreaming about when she softly squeezed his hand and moved her head so that some of her dark curls fell into her pale face waving slightly because of the airstream coming in from the opened window.

_She truly looks like an angel_, David thought to himself appreciating his lover's beauty while he wished that their problems would just magically disappear and they would be on their way to pay a simple family visit to his aunt.

Reality, however, hit him hard as he noticed that he had to take the next exit to follow the route.

David was ready to leave the highway when all of a sudden he recognized blue and red lights alarmingly flickering in the distance. His mind quickly jumped to the conclusion that he had to avoid those lights at all cost. Thus, in the last moment he pulled the car to the left again in order to stay on the highway. Both of his hands were now gripping the driver's wheel which had forced him to free his fingers from Victoria's.

Awoken by the sudden movement of the car, Victoria sat up straight in her seat.

"Dad, what was that?" Amanda asked before Victoria could pose the same question.

"Nothing, I just didn't remember which exit we had to take. I'm sorry for interrupting you." He smiled into the rear mirror at his daughter and was relieved when she instantly focused on the electric device in Daniel's hand again.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Vic." David apologized turning to Victoria. "You look so peaceful when you sleep."

"You can distract your daughter with those kinds of lies, but not me, David." One thing she loved about David was that he was always honestly flattering her, making her feel like the most important person in the world. But right now she could tell that something was wrong by the way he nervously dug his fingers into the driver's wheel and kept observing the cars behind them. "So, seriously now, what was that about?" She whispered so that their children wouldn't suspect anything.

"Okay." He rolled his eyes at the thought of how Victoria could see through him so easily. "Actually, we would've had to take that exit, but there was police everywhere. They would've recognized us right away."

"Oh my God." Victoria's eyes widened with shock as the fear of being caught became so real again. "Do you think they were looking for us?"

"I don't know." David answered. "Maybe they found out about my aunt and assume that I'll go there to seek shelter. I never wanted her to get involved into this." It was hard for him to focus on the road when his thoughts constantly circled around his aunt and the trouble he had gotten her in.

"Damn it!" He angrily slammed his hands on the wheel giving vent to his fury. The only chance they had to get some rest from the tiring and nerve-racking escape was now also destroyed.

David simply didn't saw a point in being on the run and hiding without a destination anymore and just as he was sure that their situation couldn't get any worse, Victoria opened her mouth.

"David." She breathed. "Look who's following us."

He glanced into the rear mirror again. Instinctively, he tried to swallow but his mouth was dry.

_It's over._

That was the last clear thought his brain could form before nothing but sheer panic started controlling his body.

"Okay, we need to stay calm now." Victoria took a deep breath and repeated that sentence like some kind of mantra. "Stay calm."

"I can't." David muttered through clenched teeth.

"You have to. Just stay calm." She began massaging his strained hands to keep him from losing control over the car.

"Stop that, you're only making it worse." He growled and slipped his hands away from Victoria.

When David noticed that he had obviously hurt her with his rejecting behavior, he felt the need to explain himself. "You know just as well as I do that that police car behind us is not just following us for fun. They'll stop us and arrest me. They'll take me away from you and I'm not ready to lose you and Amanda." He stared at Victoria, fear rushing through every single vein of his body.

"Then don't let that happen." Victoria whispered determinedly.

However, she received nothing but a questioning look from her lover, so that she decided to take care of the situation herself.

Just in the right moment she gripped the driver's wheel and pulled the car to the right forcing David to hit the brakes and turn onto the next exit.

"What's going on?!" Amanda screamed from the back, accompanied by Daniel's outcry for help. "Are you trying to kill us now?" The girl glared at Victoria. They shouldn't have trusted her in the first place and now they had to pay for being so foolish.

"No, Amanda, I'm actually trying to save us." Victoria snapped back annoyed. The least thing she needed was another fight with David's daughter, who for some reason clearly hated her.

"You're a liar!" Amanda shouted leaning forward to shake her father's shoulders. "I don't want to be with that witch anymore, Daddy, please!" The words that slipped from the girl's tongue were shaped by rage and shock, but still they felt like a punch in the stomach to Victoria. Was she really that obnoxious?

Before either of them could continue their little battle, they were interrupted by the loud sound of police sirens and not long after, the car passed them leaving them no other choice than to pull to the side.

Victoria looked at David with a horrified look on her face. "Please, fight for us." She begged. "Don't…"

"It is officially over now, Vic. I have to go through this. But I promise you I will never give up fighting." David uttered emotionlessly as he stopped the car switching off the engine.

* * *

**Your thoughts about how they'll handle the confrontation with the police?**

**The next chapter will be out soon, I promise. I really enjoy writing this xx**


	9. It's Over, Right? (2nd Part)

**Author's note: **Sooo here's the 2nd part of the chapter. I hope the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter kept you wondering about the outcome of their encounter with the police. Please enjoy and review :) Your interest in this story really keeps me going!

* * *

David's heart was racing at full speed as the policeman approached their car.  
He was tall and very intimidating due to his muscular body and his light blue eyes already peering at them from a few feet away.  
David immediately focused on the gun and handcuffs he was wearing at his belt and he could already picture himself being arrested by that man, who was probably only some years older than he was.

"Amanda, please don't say anything, okay? Everything will be fine." David told his scared daughter before the policeman knocked at the window observing the interior of the car.

"Same for you, Daniel." Victoria added.

Obediently, David let down the car window and took one last look back at his little girl, who he would probably not see for a very long time, if ever again. At least not outside of a prison.

"Hey, I'm Officer Vance." The man introduced himself with a deep voice. "Your license, please."

Was he seriously going through with all those formalities? Couldn't he just get to the point and arrest him?

Without thinking David wanted to pull his driver's license out of his pocket when Victoria's quick hands stopped him. He looked at her irritated. Didn't she understand that there was no way out of this confrontation?

"Bryan, don't even try to pretend that you have your license with you when it's so obvious that you forgot it at home. Just like your tie, by the way. I only bought it for that wedding and like always, you don't appreciate my effort." Victoria suddenly spoke with a high-pitched voice lightly squeezing David's wrist in the hope that he would play his part in that little act of hers.

He was more than confused by the words that came out of his lover's mouth though and wanted to protest, but then he noticed that from the moment she had leant over to the driver's seat, the officer only had eyes for Victoria. He obviously seemed to believe the story she was faking or simply didn't care as long as he could stare at her.

"Okay, I'm very busy and can make an exception in this case. Your IDs then, please." The dark-haired man reached his hand out to David but kept smiling at the woman in the passenger's seat.

"See, we're here for my sister's wedding." Victoria explained while searching her bag for their fake identity cards. "And we're already late because of the traffic. It's so exhausting" She handed the IDs to the policeman offering him one of her sweetest smiles.

While the officer was glancing at the cards, David almost died from insecurity clenching his sweaty hands to fists. What was all this about? That guy apparently enjoyed making fun of them in their hopeless position.

"So, she's your wife?" Officer Vance finally asked pulling David out of his thoughts.

"Umm, yes." He stammered quietly, looking back and forth between the policeman and Victoria. Was that some kind of test?

"Well, you're one lucky guy then, Mr Meyer." The man laughed and returned their IDs pointing to the back of their car. "And those are your kids?"

"Yes, they're very tired from the long journey." Victoria said motherly never taking her eyes off the officer's face.

"Well, they seem great. Really beautiful kids." The man leant closer to the open window. "But then again, that's no wonder with you as their mother."

They all tried to share a laugh, but Victoria and David felt very awkward with the policeman's direct way of complimenting her.  
David would have loved to tell him to back off and focus on the job he was supposed to do, but it was clear that he was by no means in a position to do so.

"Thank you." Victoria managed to answer, although she felt the urge to slap that rude pervert of a man.

She knew far too many men just like Officer Vance, either from Conrad's business partners or her own experiences in bars or clubs.  
In her early years as a woman she had made the mistake to let those men take advantage of her, to let them use her, or rather her body, in order to increase their self-esteem or to simply feel the pleasure of having the power over an attractive woman like Victoria.  
But she had learned from the many painful and heartbreaking experiences she had had with being treated like she was a toy, a whore and not worth being loved.  
At first, they had thrown her into a deep existential crisis even making her want to end her meaningless life, but after some time she had discovered that she was actually strong and smart enough to turn the game of those idiots around.  
Victoria had grown to know how to push their buttons and how to use her beauty to get exactly what _she _wanted. At the same time, she had built a wall around her heart to protect herself from any kind of feelings getting in the way of her ambitious plans. And she was proud to say that her strategy had worked. After all, it had made her one of the wealthiest and powerful women in America.

It was strange to think now that she was throwing all she ever desired away and tear down the thick walls around her heart to let love rule her world and to give her unprotected, vulnerable heart into the hands of a man.  
She had long struggled to tell David about her feelings and to allow him to see the real Victoria including all her flaws and her dark past.  
Astonishingly, she had felt extremely relieved after she had finally opened up to him and whenever she spent time with David, she knew deep down that she, and everything that had made her, who she was today, was safe with him and that she didn't need to worry about her heart being broken again.

That was what it was really worth fighting for and therefore when Officer Vance ordered to open the trunk, it was Victoria who jumped out of the car whispering a confident _"Trust me." _into David's ear.

As soon as she turned her back to the policeman, she could feel his eyes wandering up her bare legs and up to the tight jeans shorts she was wearing.  
It was nothing but disgusting, but still the easiest way to distract that guy and escape the fate of being arrested.

Thus Victoria suppressed an annoyed sigh, pulled down her neckline a bit and turned around to meet the devouring eyes of the officer again. It reminded her so much of her time with Conrad and the countless investors she had convinced to support Grayson Global by using her – how Conrad liked to call it – feminine charm.

She had enjoyed the attention she had received and how she could twist everyone around her little finger and make them believe all kinds of lies that came out of her beautiful mouth. All in all, it had been a fun game to her, mostly because she knew that at the end of the evening none of those men would get anywhere close to actually live the fantasies, they had anticipated with Victoria. She had secretly laughed at their dumbfounded expressions when she had turned down their advances explaining that it would be too dangerous with her husband around.

Yes, Victoria Grayson had always valued the power she had over men and found pleasure in attracting their attention and using them for her own benefit.

Right in that moment however she hated how Officer Vance smirked when his view rested on her cleavage where he obviously detected the black lace bra she was wearing.

The second he inched closer to her, Victoria stepped to the side letting him see the interior of the trunk.

"There's nothing in there but our luggage, I assure you." She forced herself to smile warmly as his arm brushed against her chest when he began checking the suitcases and bags for anything suspicious.

In the driver's seat, David was on the verge of going mad.

Not only was he unsure if that policeman would let them get away so easily, but he also wanted to smash that idiot's head against a wall for sexually harassing Victoria.

The last time he had looked back at them, Officer Vance had still been observing the trunk, but now he was standing close to Victoria obviously explaining something to her. She often patted his shoulder and David was not sure whether it was one of her flirting techniques or a desperate attempt to keep him at a distance. Probably, it was a mixture of both.

"Dad, why are the police interested in us?" Amanda suddenly whispered leaning forward to her father.

"I think they are confusing us with someone else. We did nothing wrong, Amanda. Sometimes even the police are mistaken." He assured his daughter calmly when finally Victoria returned to the passenger's seat. David could feel the tension of her body instantly and the way she uncomfortably moved on her seat.

"I checked everything. You are free to go now." Officer Vance appeared at David's window again. "We're actually looking for a sick bastard who shot three kids at an elementary school this morning and since your car is not from around here and the funny stunt you pulled at the highway, we needed to make sure that you're not one of his accomplices. But don't worry, as you've probably noticed we're shutting off most streets in the area to find that sicko."

"Good bye, then officer. We're in a hurry." David started the engine as the fear of being arrested fell off of him. Everything he wanted now was to get away from that man and that city full of people so they could finally make it to their hopefully safe harbor, his aunt's farm.

"It was really nice meeting you though. _Really nice._" The officer smiled at Victoria one last time unremarkably licking his lips before he stepped away from the car. "Bye, and have fun at the wedding."

David drove off as fast as he could, noticing Victoria's trembling lips and how she anxiously gripped the sides of her shirt.

He was thankful that she had managed to maneuver them out of that tricky situation, but he was also ashamed of himself, because he knew how much she hated going back to old patterns, which made it difficult for her to leave her previous life behind.  
He should've handled that guy himself, but he had been paralyzed by the fear of being discovered and Victoria had acted so confidently. She was always so strong and he was very proud of that. Not only of her strength in general, but also proud of her will to fight for their future together.

After calming Amanda and Daniel eventually, David glanced at his lover, who had been silent ever since they had been on the road again.

She stared out on the street emotionlessly, but behind her brown eyes, David was sure to detect fear, embarrassment and very clearly memories of her past.

"Victoria, I…" He wanted to talk to her about the incident but she cut him off.

"Don't mention it." She stated without even looking at him.

"I really thought we were being caught but you were so brave and saved us." He offered her a smile.

"We're still free, David, that's all that counts. I don't want to talk about it."

David knew it was senseless to force her to talk, so he took her left hand and brushed his lips over her soft skin giving it a gentle kiss.

"Thank you." He felt her muscles relaxing at his touch and entwined his fingers with hers like before.

Victoria didn't say anything and simply appreciated his affection and care for her. It was what she needed to assure herself that someone she trusted had her back and that she was not alone in this world.

They drove off into the night and when sleep eventually came over the passengers of the car, David had to stay awake and found the time to thank his lucky stars hanging above him in the night sky.

First of all, he thanked them for bringing him together with the most fascinating woman he had ever met and he also thanked the Kansas state police for having enough trouble with crimes in their own state and not being up to date in terms of nationwide wanted criminals.

Luck had truly been on their side that day.

* * *

**little-borgia and I obviously have the same vision of Victoria! ;) **

**I hope you're excited to meet Aunt Charlotte in the next chapter, since we've never actually seen her on the show! And prepare yourself for discovering more and more about David's past. :)**

**Until then xx**


	10. Take me home to Aunt Char!

**Author's note: **So this is the longest chapter so far, but I needed all those words to introduce Aunt Charlotte properly.  
The chapter title is inspired by a quote from L. Frank Baum's _The Wizard of Oz_. I thought it would be fitting since Dorothy wants to go home to her aunt and uncle, who actually live in Kansas. I don't know if you've read the book or seen the film but it's definitely one of my favourite childhood stories.  
As always: Please enjoy and review. :)

* * *

Amanda wanted to flee from the all absorbing darkness around her.  
She had never liked being out alone when it was dark.  
Well, she wasn't exactly alone that night nor was she somewhere out in the wilderness, but to her, being stuck in a car without her father and only with two other persons she couldn't stand, basically meant the same.

On the upside, since that weird policeman had searched their car, Mrs Grayson had stopped talking to David. Therefore Amanda had had the chance to speak with her father like it was only the two of them and they had even shared a laugh a couple of times.

However, when they had arrived here at her great-aunt's farm about 10 minutes ago, he had insisted on speaking to Aunt Charlotte alone and so it came that Amanda was now desperately staring out of the window waiting for her father's return.

She let her eyes wander around the huge property.

Everything was covered in darkness except for the lights shining from the veranda and the moon illuminating the spacious grazing land in a silver shimmer.

It was difficult for her to recognize anything familiar, not only because it was dark, but also because the last time she had been here was about 4 years ago when her mother had just died.  
From her blurry memories she knew that her father had dropped her at her great-aunt's house to deal with her mother's death and the formalities that came with it.  
Before that time her family had used to visit Aunt Charlotte quite regularly, but Amanda had been too small to remember anything specific about those visits.

She sighed heavily as the thought of how happy they had been as a family popped up in her mind and she was also painfully reminded of how much she actually missed her mother. Of course, she loved her father more than any other person in this world and she knew that he did everything to offer her a carefree childhood, but still the girl always felt the lack of a mother. In a way, her world would always be incomplete.

Nevertheless, Amanda was not quite sure if she envied Daniel, who was cradled into Victoria's arms that moment, for still having a mother. She for one would certainly never want _her _to be her mother.  
_Never._  
She was icy and strict and always complained about something. She was nothing like Amanda's mother had been. Her mother had been kind and funny and always found the time to take care of her properly.

For all those reasons and more she would never be able to understand how her father could choose to be with Mrs Grayson. How he could be nice to her even if she almost never displayed any emotions. How he could consider her as part of the family when that was what made his own daughter feel uncomfortable and indescribably unhappy.

Slowly, a small tear made its way down from Amanda's brown eyes down to her cheek. The past few days had been nothing but crazy and all she really wanted was to spend the summer with her best friend Jack on the beach. On top of it all, she didn't even know _why_ it was suddenly so important to her father to get away from the Hamptons.

For all she knew, her Dad didn't have a problem with spending time with Mrs Grayson when they had still been at home. They believed she hadn't noticed her sneaking in and out of their beach house at night, but Amanda had a light sleep and most importantly she wasn't stupid.  
Her father had never brought a woman into their home. Not a single time in all those years since her mother had passed away. And then all of a sudden there was this dark-haired creature standing in their door frame putting the biggest smile on David's face.

And not only that.

Amanda had quickly noticed that Mrs Grayson did not only come over to discuss her latest party and to take a coffee or two, no she also stayed overnight and was allowed to kiss her Dad on the mouth!  
The little girl had never seen her father doing that with someone else than her mother and she had almost jumped up from the couch, where she had supposedly been asleep, to keep that woman from being so close with her father.  
At that point she hadn't known about the strange noises coming from the bedroom whenever Mrs Grayson spent a night at their house, yet. Amanda had covered her ears with pillows in an unsuccessful attempt to blank out the unsettling cries coming out of their neighbor's mouth.  
Those nights had been horrible, but Amanda had been too afraid to talk to her father openly about that matter, because she realized how important it was to him to keep his meetings with Mrs Grayson a secret.

Right now however, she wished that she had voiced her concern earlier. Her father might have listened to her, like he always did when his little girl had a problem.

Suddenly, Amanda recognized a movement of the lights on the veranda in the corner of her eye. She looked closer and a wave of relief swept over her body when she saw her father walking back to the car with a light smile on his face.

The 9-year old pushed the door open immediately wrapping her arms around her father's waist.

"Can I go to her, Dad?" She asked expectantly.

"Yes, she's very happy to see you, Amanda." David assured stroking his daughter's hair.

Within the next second, the girl was running towards the house and into the welcoming arms of her great-aunt.

* * *

In contrast to the relief and comfort Amanda had felt the moment they had stopped at the farm, Victoria had a queasy feeling in her stomach. She assumed that David's aunt couldn't possibly be too happy to hide them from the police and therefore commit a crime.

"Come on, I'll take him." David offered when he saw that Victoria struggled to get out of the car with a sleepy Daniel in her arms.

"No, it's fine. I've done this before." She returned, but felt her tired legs buckling under her son's weight.

"He's 6, Vic. You have to accept that he's too heavy for you." David caught Daniel in just the right moment and lifted him into his arms while Victoria reluctantly followed his advice and walked beside him over the uneven ground.

From what she could tell in the middle of the night, the old farm house could easily be part of a set of an old Western Movie. There even was the stereotypical rocking chair on the veranda.

When they finally made it to the front door, Victoria found herself standing in front of a quite short woman, probably in her early sixties, with blue eyes and blonde locks framing her round face.

"Charlotte, this is Victoria." David cautiously introduced the two women, who were already critically eyeing each other.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte Clarke." The older woman said stiffly shaking Victoria's hand.

"It's so nice to finally meet you. David has told me a lot about you." Victoria smiled warmly motioning her lover to put down her son.

"Oh, has he?" Charlotte raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Sure, I have. I mean, I spent most of my childhood here." David explained irritated by his aunt's untypical behavior. He understood that their unexpected visit took her by surprise and it made sense to him that she was confused due to the media reports about their escape or better their kidnapping. But what he could not understand was why his aunt acted so coolly towards Victoria when she was normally so open about meeting new people. She had never been a judging person.

As for Victoria, she immediately noticed the tension she had created the moment she had set foot onto the veranda, so she decided to do her best to resolve that tension.

"Well, this is my son Daniel." She took the sleepy-looking boy by the hand and led him towards Charlotte. Apparently, the money they had invested into all those courses on good manners finally paid off when Daniel stretched out his hand to the stranger.

"Hello, I'm Daniel Grayson." He mumbled insecurely grabbing his mother's side.

"Oh, I see you know how to behave little man." Charlotte chuckled, but shook Daniel's hand politely while his mother approvingly patted his shoulder.

"Can we come in, then?" David wanted to speed up their arrival as the lack of sleep became a more and more pressing matter.

"Sure. Amanda's already in the kitchen." The woman assured and showed Daniel and his mother the way inside.

"Ok I'll get our luggage." David announced and disappeared into the darkness again.

* * *

When Victoria entered the cozy living room with an open kitchen it made her feel even more like she was on set of some John Wayne movie.  
The furniture was mainly made from wood and the sofa set as well as the chair cushions had a checkered pattern. All the doors and windows were propped with nets to keep the mosquitos and other insects outside and the large modern fridge in the kitchen looked very much out of place.  
There was a fireplace in one corner and as she glanced out of the window Victoria guessed that there also was a backyard to grow vegetables and fruits.

"I know it's nothing like your fancy beach mansion, but you have to live with that now." Charlotte stated as she noticed Victoria's wandering eyes.

"No, no, I was just thinking how big this house is." Victoria returned trying her best to gain the older woman's sympathies.

"Sure it is. The whole Clarke family used to spend summer after summer here." Charlotte explained, the nostalgic smile quickly fading from her wrinkled face. "But nowadays everyone's busy with their own lives. Not even my David comes to visit me anymore since he's got that oh so important job in New York… and you, obviously." She shot Victoria a look before she walked over to Amanda helping her to find something edible.

"I didn't know about that." Victoria answered uncomfortably. "David never told me about that tradition."

"Oh, I'm sure there are many things he didn't tell you about. But don't worry, I'm only his old aunt in Kansas, I can deal with that." Charlotte laughed sarcastically while she was cracking eggs into a pan. "Do you want something to eat? You look like you could need it."

Bewildered by Charlotte's subtle comment about her weight, Victoria prepared to snap back but remembered that she had to be nice, so she simply shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Oh, really? You must be starving. And your little boy?" The older woman insisted while Amanda was sitting on top of the kitchen counter with a smug expression on her face.

"No, he's just very tired. I think we'll go straight to bed, if you could…" Victoria was interrupted by David, who swung open the front door and entered with their suitcases.

"Dad, we're making you something to eat!" Amanda announced proudly.

"That sounds great." David put down the luggage and felt his back ache with every movement. He was so exhausted from the long ride and had forgotten how hot the summer weather in Kansas actually was. The sweat was dripping all over his body making his clothes stick to his body unpleasantly.

"What about you, Vic?" David asked when he noticed his lover still standing in the middle of the living room.

Before she could answer for herself, Charlotte already interfered. "I offered her a plate, but she declined, although I don't understand how she can possibly not be hungry. I'm sure I can see her ribs even through that shirt."

David glanced back at his aunt irritated at how she spoke about Victoria. What on earth had happened in here? He had not even been gone for 10 minutes.

"I just want to go to bed. Daniel and I need some sleep." Victoria said suppressing a yawn.

"Okay, I'll show you the bedroom then." David agreed picking up their bags.

"Take them to the one downstairs. It has a lovely view into the garden." Charlotte advised not looking up from the pan.

"No, they'll sleep upstairs in the bigger one right next to the bathroom." David decided already making his way to the staircase.

* * *

Daniel quickly crawled into bed and fell asleep right after his mother kissed him good night. Victoria also intended to find sleep that easily, but was stopped when she came out of the bathroom.

"What was that about downstairs?" David wanted to know since he was sure that something had happened between his aunt and Victoria. He needed to find out what exactly that was in order to find a way to fix it and therefore secure the peace at their new home

"Nothing. I'm just tired." Victoria returned reaching for the door knob of the bedroom.

"Don't lie to me, Vic. What did she say to you?" David insisted pulling his lover into an embrace.

"I'm not lying!" She defended herself leaning against David's body. "You're so sweaty." She observed but instead of pulling away, she longed for his closeness. "Perhaps Charlotte's just a bit offended because I refused to eat what she was cooking for us."

David let his hands gently roam over Victoria's back kissing the top of her head. "You know that she isn't really serious about those comments, right? You're perfect."

Victoria was genuinely touched by David's tenderness. She didn't want to admit to him that she probably wouldn't get along with Charlotte, because she knew that this was their only chance to stay together.

"I love you so much David. I wish you could stay with me tonight." She confessed pressing her small hands onto his chest to look him into the eyes. "Every night."

Her words made his face lighten up immediately. "I know what you mean. I want that, too." David leaned forward until his lips met hers and gave her a loving kiss. "We've got enough rooms here, so as soon as Daniel is ready to have his own bed, I'll move to your room."

"I can't wait for that day to come." Victoria smirked pulling her lover down to give him another tender kiss. "But now I honestly need to get some sleep. Good night, David."

"Good night, Vic We wouldn't be here tonight if it wasn't for you. Thank you for that." He answered releasing her from his embrace.

"I told you not to mention that again. Now go to your daughter." Victoria shut the bedroom door behind her and left David wondering about her seemingly never-ending strength.

* * *

During their dinner in the middle of the night Amanda almost fell asleep on her chair, so that David carried her to her bedroom and laid her down on the bed.

Afterwards he made his way back to the kitchen where he found his aunt already cleaning up their plates.

"Amanda is sound asleep now." He made his presence known.

"That's no wonder. She looked so tired." Charlotte turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter. "And so do you by the way. Get some sleep yourself. I can clean this up." She smiled at her nephew expecting him to leave, but he did the exact opposite. David took a few steps towards his aunt and folded his arms.

"No, I want to talk to you first." He announced in a serious tone.

"You already told me what I need to know. I believe you, David. I've never trusted those media reports anyway. You could never do such a horrible thing." Charlotte replied confidently.

"I'm glad that you took us in, Charlotte, but I…" His voice suddenly broke in his throat. He was so grateful that she offered them a home and the last thing he wanted was to fight with his aunt.

As if she could read his mind, Charlotte addressed the matter that was bothering David directly. "Is this about her? I thought we could shift that talk until tomorrow."

"No, I need to do that now." David swallowed and sat down. His aunt did the same and let her body sink down onto the wooden chair with a heavy sigh.

"I just don't understand why you're being so mean to Victoria. You always taught me not to judge people and to get to know them first." He began searching his aunt's eyes for a possible explanation.

"I'm not judging her. I want to protect you." Charlotte took his hands into hers.

"But why? Why do you think that you need to protect me?"

"Oh, David, don't you see what you've gotten yourself into?" She let out another exhausted sigh. "That woman, she's not who you think she is. I've seen her on TV and read all those articles. She doesn't really want to be with you. She's playing with you. She will sell you out eventually and go back to her rich husband while you'll end up in jail, don't you get that? People like her will always choose wealth and power destroying everyone who gets in their way to achieve that."

"How dare you speak about Victoria like that?" David jumped up from his chair, shocked by the words that came out of his aunt's mouth. "You don't know anything about her! She saved us from getting arrested by the police today and she gave up everything to be with me!"

"She may have done that, but she'll change her mind as soon as she's bored playing your secret girlfriend. Please, David, you have to believe me when I say that she's deceiving you. A woman like her is way out of your league." Charlotte stepped closer to her nephew facing his angry expression.

"You're honestly telling me that s_he's out of my league_?" David made a disgusted face, hurt by his aunt's cold choice of words.

"Yes, I know you. She's not right for you. You deserve someone…" He interrupted Charlotte's pitiful speech and tried not to raise his voice.

"For God's sake, I'm in love with that woman!" David stared at his aunt, the love he held for Victoria clearly reflected in his eyes. "How can you say that she's not right for me, when I've never felt so… complete… so at home… so _happy…._with a woman like I have felt with Victoria."

Charlotte gasped trying to focus on what she originally wanted to say. "You sound exactly like the love-struck teenager, who came home to me 20 years ago doting on that perfect girl from his class, whom he was sure to marry someday. Remember what happened to that fantasy?" She glared at her nephew before she answered her own question. "She dumped you for the captain of the football team and told you, you were not good enough for her. I remember like it was yesterday how you lay on that couch crying your eyes out because of her. I had told you in the first place to stay away from girls like her, but you wouldn't listen."

"I listened to you when you told me not to worry about Kara's mental health. See how well that turned out." David returned grimly. "I almost lost Amanda because I trusted you. I'm done with that. The only thing I'm going to trust from now on is my own head and my own heart." He turned around to leave but Charlotte grabbed his arm.

"David you can't bring Kara into this. No one could've foreseen how bad her condition really was. I've told you a million times that I'm sorry for what you had to go through because of that. But Kara was your wife, you've known her for so many years and most importantly you had a family with her. You cannot compare that to your little affair." Charlotte looked her nephew right into the eyes wanting him to finally realize the inconvenient truth.

"You're wrong Charlotte." David said drily. "Or better, you're right. I cannot compare Victoria to Kara. Not in any way. Because what I have with Victoria is completely different. It might sound strange because I'm a wanted criminal but I do feel free with Victoria. It's not like I have a role to play when I'm with her. No one expects me to marry her simply because we've been together since High school and make a perfect couple. In fact, no one expects anything from our relationship and we're also far from perfect and that's exactly what makes it so easy to be with her."

Charlotte was out of words. Her nephew was a hopeless case.

"And there's something else you need to know, since you don't think we have a future as a family together. Victoria is pregnant."

The older woman drew in a sharp breath at this surprising revelation. David hadn't intended to reveal the pregnancy to his aunt but he felt like she needed to know the whole truth now.

"And like you've already noticed she's not feeling well. She hasn't eaten properly in the last few days and has been vomiting regularly. That's why she might be a bit _thin_."

Charlotte hesitated for a moment but eventually began speaking again. "I'm sorry, David. I shouldn't have said that to her earlier. But are you absolutely sure that it is your child?"

"Yes, I am." He stated securely.

"You sound like you're proud of that."

"That's because I am _proud._ I'm going to be a father again."

Charlotte sighed yet again. "But David, don't you realize that you can never be an actual family? Even if she decides to stay with you, you have to accept that there are far more powerful forces than love in this world. Her husband will tear you apart, he certainly has got enough sources to send you to jail _for life _and in there you won't have any family at all."

"And that's exactly why we need to stay here and figure out a way to get through this mess together." David's muscles relaxed and he took a step towards his aunt, who simply shook her head in disbelief.

"I get it. You won't let her go."

"Never." David confirmed. "So can _we _stay here now, or not?"

"Of course, I mean you're like a son to me. This will always be your home." Charlotte assured, a sad smile creeping on her face.

"Thank you." David whispered hugging his aunt. "But there's something I must ask of you, whether you like it or not."

"Okay, what is it?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Victoria hasn't seen a doctor yet because she's afraid that someone could recognize her or ask too many questions. But she seriously needs medical treatment since she's only in the first trimester and her condition is far from stable. I'm so worried about her, I don't want her to, well, you know…" David was unable to say the words. He had kept that fear inside of him for several days, because he was afraid that if he said it out loud, it would be more likely to come true.

"You mean you're afraid that she'll lose the child." Charlotte comfortingly put a hand on her nephew's shoulder. David nodded and felt a lump building in his throat.

"So could you drive her into town tomorrow and make sure that someone you trust checks her and the baby's health?"

"Of course, I will do that. I think I know just the right person." She hugged him tightly, glad to have her lost son finally back in her house. "I've missed you so much. And Amanda seems to be such a great girl."

"She is." David whispered into his aunt's ear. "She's so happy to be with her great-aunt again."

Charlotte wiped her wet eyes and playfully pushed David away. "It's past you bedtime, David! You have to sleep now."

He laughed at her comment and returned a simple "Good Night" before he made himself comfortable in his old room.

Charlotte obviously hadn't changed anything about the interior. He wasn't quite sure if that was a scary or sweet thing, but the faces staring from the old photographs on the wall definitely made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't want any ghosts from his past to haunt him in his sleep. Thus he put all of them down and placed them under some book, so that finally his eyes finally fluttered shut and he found himself in the land of dreams.

* * *

**I plan on giving them some time off from the real world now, so I can focus on the relationship between Victoria and Amanda as many of you would like me to do so.**

**It took me a while to figure out Charlotte's character and her opinion about Victoria. Please tell me what you think! xx**


	11. Hope

Victoria shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  
She was in a car. _Again.  
_As if the last few days on the road hadn't been enough to make her feel like she was caught in that hot vehicle forever.  
Nevertheless she had let David talk her into accompanying his aunt into town today in order to see a doctor.  
After she had broken down in the bedroom and had hit her head at the nightstand that morning, she really had no choice left, but to agree to David's decision.

That was why she was now leaning her head against the car window while pressing a cool pack against the bulge that had formed at the back of her head. In addition to the pain she was already feeling, Charlotte had decided to switch on her favorite country radio station and sing along with the songs, which all sounded the same to Victoria.

"You know, you have to talk to me eventually, honey." Charlotte hummed joyfully. "It's a long ride into town."

"Stop calling me that." Victoria rolled her eyes, glad that she had her favorite pair of _Dolce & Gabbana_ sunglasses on.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You prefer Vicky then?" The older woman teased glancing over at Victoria who sat up in her seat.

"No, my name is Victoria and that's what I like to be called." She stated with a cold voice.

"All right then, Victoria. I'd like to know a few things since I'm offering you and your boy a home, which, I'm pretty sure, is illegal." Charlotte turned down the volume of the radio and Victoria reluctantly moved her aching head. "So, let me begin with today. What exactly do you plan on telling the doctor once we arrive in town?"

"That's easy." Victoria put up the sunglasses in her hair and began speaking with an exaggerated tone in her voice. "Hello doctor, my name is Carolyn Meyer, I'm 10 weeks pregnant and I feel like I need medical examination since I've not been feeling well the last few weeks."

"Sounds like you've got some experience with that." Charlotte acknowledged.

"With what exactly? The pregnancy or the incognito part?" Victoria grinned putting her sunglasses back on.

"With both, I guess, though I've been referring to the incognito part." David's aunt returned, still not sure what to think of the woman sitting next to her, although she could understand why her nephew had fallen for her.  
First of all, she was extremely beautiful with her long dark her, her porcelain skin and her flawless figure, she was radiating, even Charlotte had to admit that. And second of all, it was probably her passionate nature and her wit that fascinated David and made him do everything for her. Nonetheless, Charlotte was almost sure that there was more to this woman than the face she was showing the world. She could feel it in her bones. There had to be something far darker and uglier about her or her past and she was determined to find out what exactly that was before it would be too late to save her nephew from the disaster he had gotten himself into.

"Let's just say it can be helpful to pretend to be somebody else at times." Victoria unexpectedly continued the conversation.

"And the pregnancy part?" Charlotte picked up at her talkative mood. "How do you feel about that?"

That question took Victoria by surprise. She was relieved that David had taken the pregnancy news so well and loved it when he got protective over her and the baby, but she also longed to speak to another woman about it. She needed someone to confide in, to understand what she was going through and to tell her that all of her fears were perfectly normal and that she didn't need to worry. However, she was not sure if Charlotte was the right person to turn to. She hadn't even known her for 24 hours and in that time they hadn't exactly been friendly to each other.

"Um, well, I'm… I'm fine." Victoria finally stammered trying to regain her posture.

"I don't believe you. You didn't exactly look _fine _lying unconscious on the bedroom floor this morning." Charlotte dug deeper.

"Isn't that the reason why we're taking this trip into town?" Victoria hissed.

"Yes, you're right. But I've asked you how you _feel_ about the pregnancy."

"I don't know what you mean." Victoria folded her arms.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean."

The brunette then let out an annoyed sigh and eventually began to respond to the older woman's questions. "Well, I consider myself to be a very lucky woman to receive the gift of having another child."

"David's child?" Charlotte pressed on the subject.

"Yes." The brunette glared at her. "I'm very happy that I'm having a child _with David_. He's a wonderful father and he takes good care of me."

After that, both women let the words sink in at first.  
Victoria was surprised by herself and how good it felt to tell someone about her situation with David.

As for Charlotte, she hadn't expected the whole conversation to go that far and after a few moments of awkward silence she suddenly asked out of the blue: "Do you love him, Victoria?" She didn't know what had hit her but she needed to know for sure. She needed to know that her nephew's heart wasn't going to be broken.

"Yes. Yes, I love him very much." Victoria answered truthfully, staring out of the window.

Although she couldn't look her into the face, Charlotte could tell that she really meant it. There was such honesty in her voice, that it made her almost regret her previous accusations of Victoria misusing David's good character. Maybe there really was a different side to this woman. It was certainly enough to let Charlotte make the decision to at least give Victoria a chance.

The rest of the car ride passed in complete silence and gave Victoria an impression of the sheer endlessness of Kansas' landscape until Charlotte finally stopped in front of a small building in an equally small town.

"Here we are." She announced. "I've called Dr. Gale early this morning and told her that the daughter of a friend of mine would need an appointment today."

"Thank you." Victoria swallowed and opened the door. All of a sudden she felt all of her self-confidence leaving her body. She was so scared and wished that David could have accompanied her to hold her hand.

"I'll pick you up in an hour and go to the grocery store in the meantime." The blonde woman explained offering her young companion an encouraging smile. "I'm sure everything is just fine."

"Okay." Victoria simply nodded and walked towards the building with a heavy heart. It had been quite some time since she had let the weak side of her take over her emotions.

* * *

It was already late afternoon when Charlotte Clarke pulled the car into the driveway of her farmhouse. Before she could even stop the engine, Victoria jumped out of the car and paced towards the house.

"David?" She shouted, tears filling her eyes. Ugh, how she hated those hormones. Pregnancy always made her seem like an emotional mess and she couldn't do anything against that.

She stormed into the living room, which was empty but her eyes soon found David sitting outside on the porch. He watched the children as they were climbing the old trees in the garden.

"David." Victoria breathed when she finally stood right behind him.

He was startled and quickly turned around. "Vic, you scared the hell out of me!"

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. "It's just that…" She didn't even know how to say it properly.

David immediately noticed how uncomfortable she felt and gave her a motion to sit on his lap. She didn't hesitate long and relaxed into his embrace.

"Come on, just get it over with. I can handle it." He worriedly pulled her close to his chest and Victoria buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"David, I'm fine." She whispered into his ear, hearing him swallow the lump in his throat. "And so is our baby." In an instant, he grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look into his face. When Victoria couldn't hide the bright smile on her face anymore, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh my God, Vic, You really had me worried!" The realization slowly sunk in and soon he had a matching smile on his own face. "And what exactly did the doctor tell you?"

Victoria wrapped one arm around his neck and soothingly stroked the side of his face to calm him down. "She told me that I need to rest and avoid any kind of stress to reduce the sickness I constantly feel. She also made an ultrasound to check the baby's health and David; I could hear the baby's heartbeat. It was steady and already pretty strong. Can you believe it? Our child is such a miracle."

That was the first time David noticed the glow that surrounded Victoria. He realized that the whole time she had been nothing but afraid and insecure but now that she knew that nothing was wrong with her and that they were safe out here in Kansas, she could finally begin to enjoy her pregnancy and allow herself to feel happy.

"Say something, please." Victoria whispered, the smile fading from her face.

David looked into her brown eyes again. He had been lost in thought admiring her beauty, her new kind of beauty. Instead of using simple words to express his feelings, David decided to cup Victoria's face with his hands and pull her into a passionate kiss.

As soon as his lips crashed onto hers, Victoria couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She was so filled with joy that she forgot about their problems and lost herself in that lighthearted moment with David instead.

He let his lips wander to her ear. "Victoria, words cannot describe how happy you make me. I love you."

Victoria lifted herself from David's lap only to straddle him the next second. She pressed her legs to his thighs and could already feel what she was clearly doing to him. It only encouraged her to press her body even tighter to his as he caught her lips again.

"Whoa!" They were suddenly torn apart in their intimate position. "Take it easy, you two!" Charlotte mockingly covered her eyes with her hand.

Victoria instinctively jumped up into a standing position and felt her cheeks blushing.

"No, you can't, Vic!" David panicked and pulled her down onto his lap again. "This is too embarrassing." He whispered into her ear making Victoria smirk as she was reminded of what exactly he was referring to.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you do realize that your kids can see you from up there?" Charlotte pointed towards the trees. "You better save that definitely _not _G-rated stuff for the bedroom, okay?"

Victoria felt her face getting even redder and was glad that at least David was able to answer his aunt again.

"I'm sorry Charlotte. It won't happen again." He nervously scratched his throat. Why did he so easily forget what power Victoria had over him?

"Oh, I'm sure it'll happen again. Just make sure that there are no witnesses around next time." Charlotte chuckled and stepped into the garden. "I'm taking the horses out now."

"You have horses?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Just two." The older woman turned around again.

"I'd love to see them." Fortunately, Victoria felt the heat slowly fading from her face.

"So you ride?"

"Yes and I was so unhappy to give that up!"

"Why don't you come with me then?" Charlotte offered, interested in what else there was to discover about this woman.

"Of course…"

David cut her off. "Um, I don't think that's a good idea. Remember what the doctor told you? Riding horses seems a bit risky to me." David eyed his lover skeptically.

"The doctor said I should avoid stress, but sitting on the back of a horse has always been quite relaxing for me." Victoria returned becoming aware of the negative side of David's protective nature.

"But still, it's dangerous. You could fall or the horse could kick you or…"

"Don't be ridiculous David! I've been horse riding for so many years now, I won't just suddenly fall!"

Charlotte felt the need to leave them alone with their arguing, so she excused herself. "Why don't you figure that out yourselves? I'll take the kids with me."

As soon as David's aunt was out of sight, Victoria got up and angrily stared at her lover.

"Why did you have to do that?"

David assumed he had to get used to her mood swings and simply let out a laugh, which made Victoria even angrier.

"That's not funny! You can't control me like that!"

"Okay, Vic, calm down. Now _you're_ being ridiculous." He grabbed her by the wrists and made her sit on his lap again. "As you know, I'm only worried about you and actually I've got a much better idea."

"I'm listening." Victoria expectantly folded her arms.

"I'm glad that you and Charlotte obviously left your difficulties behind. I know how important this family is to you and that you want to be on good terms with everyone. So, what I'm suggesting is that this is your chance to finally bond with Amanda. Maybe you two could stop by the stables tomorrow and you could show her how to ride." David smiled as he saw Victoria's muscles relaxing.

"Do you think that she would like to do that with me?" She asked apparently approving of David's idea.

"If she sees that Charlotte trusts you, it'll be easier. Let me just talk to her." He let his hand rest on her waist.

"I guess you're right. I'd love to show her everything about horses!" Victoria said enthusiastically, but David was wise enough to keep the witty comment about her mood swings to himself. "I mean she's a girl, she likes horses, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." David pressed a loving kiss to her pink cheek. "But you still have to be careful." He let his hand wander between them until it rested on her abdomen. "I wish I would have been with you today." He couldn't help it, but he was already captivated by the mere thought of his wonderful child growing inside of this perfect woman. The feeling drove him crazy and he just couldn't wait to finally feel the baby in her belly. As he remembered the doctor's advice he lifted Victoria up without warning.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, clutching his neck.

"I'm going to pamper you from now on. The kids are with Charlotte and you need to rest." He informed her laying her down onto the sofa in the living room and began to fix her a meal in the kitchen.

"David, before I forget." Victoria called after him moving herself into a comfortable position. "I love you, too." She winked at him and watched as David started to cook while he was whistling a cheerful tune.  
It was so easy to forget about their actual probelms when they were isolated from reality and lived in their alternate universe instead. And for their happiness' sake Victoria forced herself to believe that living in this seemingly perfect world was possible. That it was possible for them to have a healthy child, to raise it together and to get married.  
She had gained so much hope that day, that even the thought of her angry husband and the police couldn't keep her from smiling as she felt David's love sending butterflies in her stomach. It gave her strength and strength was always a good thing when it came to Victoria Grayson.  
So hope was exactly what they needed.

* * *

**I've already started working on the next chapter, so you don't have to wait long for the Victoria and Amanda scene. Finally! ;)  
**

**I hope you enjoyed it and I appreciate your reviews very much! xx**


	12. Bonding

The next morning, Victoria descended the stairs much later than usual. She had still been up two times that night and had rushed to the bathroom, but it had been easier for her to fall asleep after that. She hadn't even noticed Daniel sneaking out of their room in the morning.  
Speaking of her son, she was happy that he had apparently overcome his shyness and seemed to enjoy the time he spent with Amanda.  
This morning he was seated at the breakfast table with David and his daughter, who apparently tried to lecture him on his drawing skills.

"Good Morning." Victoria smiled as she approached the table. The sight of the three people, she now liked to call her family truly warmed her heart.

"Mom, look at how real this house looks!" Daniel was eager to show his mother what he had been drawing the whole morning and held the piece of paper in her face. Victoria kissed her son's head and glanced at his "piece of art".

"That's beautiful, Danny. It looks a lot like this house."

"So you recognize it?" The 6-year-old was thrilled.

"Of course, it looks great." Victoria assured softly squeezing his shoulder.

"Amanda helped me with it. She knows how to draw those windows and animals and all kinds of plants!" Daniel explained.

Victoria turned her head to thank David's daughter for her assistance, but the girl had already backed away and stared at her orange juice.

"Well, I think both of you are very talented artists." Victoria said approvingly before she took the seat next to David.

"Someone is in a good mood today." David noticed and gave her a kiss.

"Sleep does wonders, you know." Victoria replied and poured herself some juice. "Where's Charlotte?"

"Believe it or not, she actually has a job. She works as a vet here on the countryside."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"And I already told Amanda about your plans for today." David addressed his daughter. "She's pretty excited about that, right, Amanda?"

"Yeah, I guess." The girl answered getting up from the table.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get ready." Amanda hissed angrily and ran up the stairs.

After that, Victoria's positive attitude began to decrease. She had told David in the first place that it would be a bad idea to push his daughter to spend time with her. It would probably only affect their relationship negatively and not help to gain the girl's trust.

Thus, Victoria was even more astonished when she found Amanda standing on the porch an hour later. David had shown her his mother's old closet and even though Victoria thought it was a bit creepy, she had put on her clothing. Fortunately, it fitted her perfectly and she was glad not to have to ruin her own clothes for horse riding.

"Hey Amanda, are you ready to go?" Victoria stepped out on the porch struggling to put her long hair up in a bun.

"Yep." The 9-year-old replied and led Victoria to the stables. She watched the older woman as she acquainted herself with the two horses and finally decided it would be best to work with Aunt Charlotte's favorite horse, Pumpkin.

The day before Amanda had refused to go anywhere near those animals and had left Charlotte alone with Daniel in the stables. A decision, she later regretted, because she had seen how Daniel- much to her aunt's delight- had cared for the horses almost as passionately as his mother. It made her more than just a little bit jealous to witness how the Grayson boy, with his 6 years, already seemed to know everything Charlotte tried to teach him, but now that she saw his mother in the stables, Amanda knew where his experience came from.

In the meantime, Victoria had placed the saddle on the horse's back while Amanda still figured it would be best to keep a safe distance.

"Don't you want to help me?" Victoria offered as she reached for the halter.

Amanda shook her head and waited outside until the brunette had finished and came walking towards her with the horse by her side.

"Mrs Grayson, I'm not sure if this is a good idea, maybe I should see what my Dad is doing." Amanda felt her hands getting sweaty and stepped back.

"Amanda, how many times do I have to tell you that you can call me Victoria?" She didn't understand why the girl refused to accept her at least as a friend. "Come on, this is going to be fun." She smiled at David's daughter and motioned for her to follow.

For some reason, Amanda obeyed. She didn't want to appear scared or weak in front the older woman. She wanted to show her that she was not just a cute little girl, but rather a brave daughter, who would never stop fighting for her Dad.

Thus, Amanda forced herself to step forward although her knees were already shaking. The whole situation got even worse when Victoria helped her to mount the horse.

"There you go." Victoria said happily, remembering the first time she had sat on a horse and how it amazing it had felt. "Now sit up straight Amanda."

However, the girl did not respond and stiffened her positions as she clawed to the saddle.

"I know that you can do it. Just try." Victoria encouraged her stroking Pumpkin's side.

A few moments later, Amanda still didn't show any reaction and Victoria began to worry, so she cautiously touched the girl's leg.

"Are you okay, Amanda?" She asked worriedly. "Amanda? What is wrong?"

All of a sudden, the girl's lips began to tremble and silent tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, God, Amanda. Do you want to get down again?" Her response was an insecure nod as sobs began to shake her body.

Victoria had no clue what she had done wrong, so she simply focused on keeping herself from panicking and assisted David's daughter to get down from the horse's back.

As her feet touched the ground, Amanda still didn't stop crying and just stood there, her whole body shaking as if she was about to break down.

Victoria felt helpless. What was she to do? Seeing the 9-year-old so vulnerable broke her heart and she didn't have the slightest idea what caused those intense feelings.

As if on cue, Victoria felt her instincts kick in. She suddenly realized that the girl standing in front of her was not just someone's daughter. She was the sister of her unborn child and as she had acknowledged earlier, she was her family now. Just as much as Daniel was her family.

So she finally did the one thing that felt natural to her, as a mother and a protector, she pulled Amanda into a close hug and much to her surprise, the girl didn't protest, so Victoria began stroking her blonde locks like she knew David always did.

"Sshh." She whispered and let Amanda rest her head on her chest while tears were streaming down her face. The next second, the girl unexpectedly wrapped her trembling arms around Victoria's waist and buried her face in the older woman's clothes.

Victoria was speechless. She would have never imagined David's daughter to be willing to get so close to her, not to mention to seek comfort in her presence. Not that she didn't like it, she just didn't expect it to happen.

Overwhelmed by her own motherly feelings and the urge to soothe the girl, Victoria kneeled down and took Amanda's sweaty hands into hers.

"Amanda, please stop crying. You can talk to me. What is wrong?" She used her thumb to wipe the tears from the girl's face, but her uncontrolled sobs kept her from talking.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Victoria didn't know what else to do or say to calm her down, so she pulled her into a comforting hug again.

From one second to the other, Amanda widened her eyes in shock, gasping to stop the tears from escaping her eyes. She grabbed Victoria's shoulders and pushed herself away from the older woman.  
She didn't understand what had just happened. How did she end up crying her eyes out in Victoria's arms when she had sworn to never show any signs of weakness in front of her only 5 minutes earlier?  
She was so eager to create a distance between herself and her father's girlfriend, that she almost fell over on her way backwards.

"Don't touch me." Amanda breathed, confused by her own actions. Something deep within her had drawn her into Victoria's arms and she hated to admit it, but she had felt protected. The way she had stroked her hair, how warm her body had felt and how careful she had wiped her tears away. It evoked such a familiar feeling within Amanda, such a _good_ feeling.

Nevertheless, she had to push that thought aside. She wouldn't be influenced so easily. In contrast to her Dad, she would never allow that woman to gain so much power over her. She would stay strong.

"Amanda, I only wanted to help you." Victoria was taken aback by her sudden change of mind. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Amanda returned clearing her throat. "I want to try again."

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this with me if you don't like horses. Your dad and I, we won't be angry with you."

Oh, so now she thought it was appropriate to speak for her father? To refer to them as _we_? Like they belonged together? Amanda's previous contradictive feelings for Victoria were forgotten quickly, when anger began to cloud her judgment again.

"I don't care. I just want to try again." She snapped and as she glared at the brunette, Victoria recognized such strong determination in the girl's eyes, that it almost scared her. However, she did not intend to break the eye contact when it dawned on her slowly : Behind that fierce stare Amanda tried to hide her fear. It reminded Victoria of herself and she knew from her own experience that she couldn't do anything against that stubbornness, so she decided to give the girl another chance.

"Okay, then." Victoria got up and helped David's daughter to mount the horse again. "But if you're scared or something, just tell me. Nobody forces you to do this."

"I'm not scared." Amanda emphasized, but still had a hard time to relax on the horse's back.

Yes, this girl was definitely just as stubborn as Victoria herself was.

* * *

During the lesson Victoria explained everything to Amanda and made sure to stay close enough to the horse, so that the girl had a feeling of security.  
After more than an hour of intense work, Victoria realized that David's daughter had made huge progress. She had done everything the older woman had told her and now she was finally able to keep her body just in the right position on the horse.

"That is perfect, Amanda!" Victoria said and as she saw a content smile creeping on the girl's face, she felt proud, not even of herself for her teaching skills, but proud of Amanda for not giving up.

"I knew you could do it!" She stated happily. "I'm so proud of you." The words just slipped from her mouth, but as Amanda turned her head and sent Victoria a genuine smile, she was glad that she had voiced her pride. She wanted the girl to know that she cared for her as a family member.

"I want to tell my Dad." Amanda returned, amazed by the outcome of her riding lesson. With Victoria staying by her side, she had been able to shake off her fear and in fact, she found it quite easy to trust her and her instructions. Even the thought of her being a good teacher crossed her mind more than one time.

"I don't think that's necessary." Victoria laughed feeling David's lips brushing her neck as he walked past her and towards his daughter.

"Did you see me, Dad?" Amanda almost screamed when her father took her into his arms while Victoria took care of Pumpkin praising him for his patience.

"You've been out here for quite some time and I wanted to check on my favorite girl." David explained, relieved that Victoria and his daughter had obviously enjoyed their time together. "But I see you two didn't even miss me."

"Your daughter was very ambitious to learn." Victoria said smiling at Amanda, who avoided the eye contact shyly.

"I didn't expect anything different from my baby girl." David stated proudly, earning a kick from his daughter.

"Dad! I'm not three anymore!" Her cheeks blushed with embarrassment. "Is Charlotte home again?"

"Yes, why?" David replied, amused by Amanda's behavior. She didn't want to admit it, but she obviously did care about what Victoria thought of her.

"I'll go back to the house then. At least, Charlotte doesn't treat me like I'm still a toddler." The 9-year-old claimed and started running back to the house, excited to tell her aunt everything about her day. In addition to that, she also felt strange standing there with her Dad and Victoria actually enjoying their company instead of wasting her anger on that woman like she had done so many times before. That feeling of comfort scared her more than anything and she didn't know if she was ready to let it take over her mind.

"Thank you so much." David smiled and pressed a kiss onto Victoria's lips as soon as his daughter was out of sight.

"We had a great time, David. I think your decision was right." Victoria explained. However, she was still irritated by Amanda's previous emotional outburst. "But I need to ask you something. Has Amanda ever had a negative experience with horses? At first, she seemed so terrified and even started crying. I was really worried about her."

David knew he had to tell her, now that she was so close to discovering the truth. "Well, actually, yes." He admitted. "When she was a little girl, she tried horse riding together with her mother. But she fell off the horse and it almost stepped on her, so I guess she's a bit traumatized because of that. But I didn't expect her to still be so frightened. I assumed she would have forgotten about it."

Victoria was shocked. How could David not tell her about this beforehand? She would have taken things more slowly with Amanda!  
But before Victoria could start her rant, she remembered the happiness that had filled her body that morning and also the fact that her relationship with Amanda had grown significantly in such a short time, so that she decided to avoid a fight with David. "Considering that, your daughter learnt very quickly. I think she even enjoyed it in the end."

"She looked very happy to me. You must have taught her well." David smiled and closed his arms around Victoria's waist. "And I also have to compliment you about how gorgeous you look in these clothes."

"You're such a flatterer." Victoria giggled as David started to place kisses on her neck and her collarbone.

"I'm not. It's the truth." David continued and gently nibbled at her earlobe. Her girlish giggles were probably his favorite sound in the world, because they meant that she was carefree and could be herself.

"Stop." Victoria pushed him away playfully. "Remember what your aunt said about _no witnesses around next time?_"

"I don't see any." He pulled her close again, desperately wanting to please her, to love her, to hold her.

"I do." Victoria placed her hands on his chest. "Pumpkin may be a horse, but still he's got eyes."

"Let's go inside then. You've been on your feet for far too long anyways. It's time for you to rest."

"Actually, I want to take Pumpkin out for a ride myself. I need some time to think and be on my own for a while." She cleverly used David's confusion to step to the side and swing herself on the horse's back with ease.

"To think about what exactly?" David asked curiously. He wanted to be with her so badly, but he had to respect her wish for privacy. They were in a complicated situation after all.

"About everything. I just need to clear my head." Victoria explained.

"But be careful and don't go too far. We're still in danger." David looked up at his lover, admiring her beauty and the elegance with which she sat on the horse.

"I know. I promise I'll be back in an hour." She smiled, already excited about the fun adventure she would have all on her own.

"Okay, take care then." Before he could say anything else, Victoria was already galloping over the huge grazing land until David finally lost sight of her.

* * *

**I hope that you're satisifed with the first real Victoria/Amanda scene. As always, please leave a review to tell me what you think. They mean so much to me! :)**

**I can't believe that Revenge returns TONIGHT! I'm sooo excited! But I'm also a bit afraid about what will come to light about David. I will never see him as a bad guy and no matter what the writers of the show decide to make of his character, it won't affect my story. xx  
**


	13. History Lesson

**Author's note: **First of all, I want to apologize that it took me longer than usual to publish this chapter. But I started university and my life got so busy again it's difficult to find time to sit down and write. Plus, I had to figure out how to deal with season 4 and everything that's currently happening between Victoria and David... Eventually, I decided to stick to "the old version of David", which we know from the flashbacks in earlier seasons. However, you may find some indirect references to new episodes in the story, especially in terms of dialogue. But now I better stop explaining myself and just let you enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

„Let me just take a shower first!" Victoria shouted making her way up the stairs. She was almost floating over the ground, her new found inner peace making her feel light like a feather.  
In the afternoon, she had enjoyed the time she had had for herself and the fresh air had really cleaned her mind.  
Even though she had inevitably thought of Conrad and the threat he presented, she didn't become depressed or angry like she usually did. Instead, she just wiped the thought of him away and replaced it with images of her son and Amanda playing together while she and David sat under one of the old trees cuddled up on a blanket. Victoria had decided that her husband was not worth the risk of getting wrinkles at her age and when she finally arrived back at the farm, she made a crucial decision for her life: From now on, she would live in the moment and cherish every minute she could spend with her son, Amanda and David, the father of the new family member they would welcome into this world in about 6 months already.

All of her life, she had had a fixed goal and had wasted her time on planning the next steps to achieve that goal. But as of now, she had been given the opportunity to begin a new life and she wouldn't make the same mistake again. Especially, because she was well aware of the fact that the danger of losing that new life was still lurking behind every corner and grew with every second of its denial.

Lost in thought, Victoria began to free herself from the sweaty and dirty clothing on the way to the room which David had described to her. He had promised to give her a foot massage, so she was eager to be downstairs again as quickly as possible.  
As she pulled open the door, ready to step out of the tight trousers, her eyes flew to the woman who had given her the possibility to enter this world so far from reality in the first place.

In an instant, Charlotte Clarke shot up from the chair she had been sitting on and turned her head away from the window.

In her blue eyes, Victoria was sure to detect fresh tears. "Charlotte, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry." She said fixing her clothes.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Charlotte snapped, unsuccessfully trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.

"I need to take a shower and David told me you stored your fresh towels in here. I didn't expect you to be here." Victoria chose her words carefully. Her decision also included trying to get along with Charlotte since she was being so generous to them.

"They're in the cupboard over there." The blonde woman mumbled pointing across the room.

"Thank you." Victoria grabbed two white towels and addressed David's aunt one more time before she wanted to escape from the awkward situation. "My time with Pumpkin this afternoon was very enjoyable. He's a great horse."

Only then did Victoria notice that Charlotte dug her fingers into the windowsill making her knuckles turn white and held a picture frame in her hand. "You." She suddenly whispered causing Victoria to freeze.

"I'm sorry. What do you mean?" She smiled, but was bewildered by the other woman's peculiar behavior.

"You remind me so much of her." Charlotte continued mysteriously.

"Of who?" Victoria curiously took a step into the room again.

"Of David's mother."

After that, Victoria's jaw dropped open in astonishment.

"From the moment I first saw you, I knew that there was something so familiar about you. When I saw you in her clothes and with that bright smile on your face today, I finally figured out why I felt that way." Charlotte explained soberly.

At first, Victoria was not quite sure how to react but soon she remembered the photo in Charlotte's hand. "Is that her? David's mother?" She approached the older woman, who immediately glanced at the picture frame.

"Yes." She handed Victoria the photo.

"But she's blonde, just like you and David and her eyes also look like they're blue." The brunette observed, not finding any resemblance between herself and the woman in the picture.

"You really are nothing but superficial, aren't you?" Charlotte remarked thoughtlessly, but before Victoria could defend herself, she added. "I didn't mean to offend you, excuse my bad habits. It's just that I see so much more behind a person's exterior."

Victoria accepted the apology and began analyzing the photo instead. David's mother was probably in her 30s, her blonde wavy hair covering her shoulders and the exact same outfit Victoria was wearing adjusted to her well-proportioned body flawlessly. Next to her stood a little boy with blonde locks, maybe about 3, holding the woman's hand.

"Is that David?" Victoria managed to ask.

"Yes, the photo was taken in one of the summers the Clarkes spent here at the farm together."

"I've never seen a photo of him as a child." Victoria couldn't stop staring at the picture. David's mother had truly been a beauty and seemed to be very happy in that moment with her child.

"He left all of his old photos here in his room. When he moved out, he chose not to be reminded of the tragedy every single day of his life."

Victoria's attention was caught. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, I see. He really hasn't told you anything, has he?" Charlotte sat down on the chair again taking the picture frame out of Victoria's hands.

"He only told me that his parents died when he was 9 and that he then came to live with you. I tried to ask for more details but he told me that he didn't like to talk about that, which I accepted." Although Victoria was naturally curious, she hadn't dug any deeper into David's personal history, because she had needed him in the present and not his demons from the past haunting him. But as time had passed things between them had changed and they were now having a serious relationship, so that Victoria felt the need to know everything about David including events in the past which affected his character.

"Well, what he told you is true, but there's much more to that story."

"And what exactly is that?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but you'll have to ask David yourself. I don't want to get involved into that."

Victoria didn't even realize that Charlotte had just called her "honey" again, because she was too focused on finding out about that story. "Come on! You know he won't say a word to me about that and he'll probably just become angry."

"I'm sure you won't have a problem to find a way to convince him."

"Charlotte, please. I don't want to upset him right now. We're so happy together and I don't want to ruin that by bringing up his past. I swear that if you tell me the story, I won't mention it to him. I'll pretend that I don't know." Victoria almost begged. Her curiosity took over her brain.

"Alright." Charlotte sighed and patted on the chair next to her. "But you might want to sit down for that one."

Victoria instantly regretted moving so quickly to sit down on the chair as the sickness, which had spared her the whole day, now came back. Instinctively, she covered her mouth with her hands and arched her back. Maybe the excitement of the afternoon had been too much for her after all.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked with serious concern in her voice. "We can shift this talk."

"No, no. I'm fine." Victoria relaxed a bit as she didn't feel the need to vomit anymore. However, her head was getting dizzy again and she wiped away the sweat which was covering her forehead.

"I'll get you some water. " 5 minutes later Charlotte came back and Victoria gladly accepted the cold refreshment she had brought from the kitchen. She leaned back in the chair and expectantly looked at David's aunt.

"Okay, let me begin at the beginning." Charlotte searched her mind for the best way possible to describe the Clarke family's history. "David's mother Elizabeth was the oldest one of us Clarke sisters. We were four: Lizzie as we called David's mom, me, Mary and Rebecca, who was the youngest of us. Our parents were very lucky to have us and all in all we got along pretty well. When our father's job didn't provide enough money for our big family anymore, our mother had to get herself a job and told Lizzie to take care of her little siblings while she was away. She was about 11 at that time and our little Rebecca was still a baby, so when we came home from school and our mother went to work, Lizzie took over the responsibility and cared for us. It was a lot of pressure for a girl her age, but she never complained. She was a smart girl and had excellent grades at school, but her family was most important to her. In a way she always kept us together and we admired her for her strength."

Victoria was already intrigued. She had never heard much about David's family or his roots. Charlotte's eyes seemed to drift off into another world, or better into the past, as her mouth turned into a nostalgic smile and she continued the story.

"By the time she turned 16, she met the love of her life. His name was Thomas and as her boyfriend he quickly became part of our family. Our parents approved of him and he supported Lizzie in every way he could. You would probably think her life couldn't get any more perfect, but after she finished High School, one of her biggest dreams came true when she could go to university to become a doctor. She was truly a natural when it came to taking care of people, she loved to help and her good grades allowed her to get a medical degree after many years at the university. Right after she had started her first job in a hospital near our hometown, Thomas, who had waited patiently for her to come back to him, proposed to her and of course she said yes. Their wedding was the most beautiful one I have ever seen. They had been a couple for so many years by then and it seemed that their love grew with every day they spent together. Thomas worked at a local bank and over the years they had saved enough money to buy a house. Everyone was so happy for them and although Lizzie loved her job, she also wanted to have a family of her own and everyone knew that she was destined to be a great mother. As for me, I had started working for an old and lonely lady at this farm and took care of the animals. After the lady, Ms. Greene, died, I unexpectedly inherited the whole property and so it came that every summer my parents and my sisters with her husbands or boyfriends spent their holidays here as a family. Those weeks were the happiest of my life." Charlotte smiled at Victoria obviously remembering memories of the past again.

"So David must have had a great childhood. I don't get what could've gone so wrong." Victoria motivated the older woman to continue the story.

"Well, you have to know that David's mother had to discover that it wouldn't be easy for her to have children. She and Thomas tried for many years, but Lizzie never became pregnant and she soon grew depressed and hopeless. She started to work longer shifts at the hospital to distract herself from the fact that she would probably never be so lucky to hold her own child in her arms."

At that point, Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her stomach instinctively. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to not being able to conceive. She had always taken it for granted and often even seen it as a disadvantage. But as Charlotte described Elizabeth's desperation, she realized how lucky she was to have Daniel and soon also David's child. The love she held for her children was something very special and she didn't like to think of how empty her life would be without that kind of love.

"As a result Thomas's and Lizzie's marriage suffered a lot." David's aunt continued. "I had never seen my sister in such a dark place and began to worry about her health as she lost weight and seemed to grow more exhausted every time I saw her. One day however, I received a phone call and between endless sobs my sister told me that she was finally pregnant. She was 32 at that time and from then on everything began to get better again. She instantly quit her job and focused on her pregnancy. Thomas also took good care of her and 9 months later my sister gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy. David was the light of her life and she was the best mother to him one could imagine. The whole Clarke family seemed to grow closer again and David was brought up in a very loving environment. But that happiness only lasted until one fatal night when everything fell apart again. When David was 9, Lizzie decided it was time for her to work at the hospital again. It was the third week of her new job, October 12 1970, to be exact. She had worked the night shift and was on her way home when some drunken teenager lost control over his car, so that she had to pull away and crashed into a tree. My sister was dead immediately. No one could have saved her. It's still impossible for me to understand how life can be so cruel. David lost his mother that day and Thomas his will to live. After his wife's funeral, he swallowed pain killers and a bottle of whiskey and that was the end of David's father."

"Oh my God." Victoria breathed in a state of shock. She was impressed by Charlotte's calmness. "Didn't he think of the orphan son he would leave behind, forever weeping for his parents' death?"

"Yes, Thomas thought about that. In fact, he wrote a note explaining his inner struggle whether to stay on this earth for his son or to be reunited with the love of his life in heaven again. As I told you, he chose the latter, leaving David in the hands of his godmother. After that our whole family fell apart, only proving that Lizzie really was the person who had always kept us together and her funeral was the last day we all spent together as a family. When David moved in with me and my fiancée everything changed. He didn't want to provide for a child that wasn't his, but I loved David like he was my own son and so we broke our engagement. I didn't even care as long as I could offer my beloved sister's child a home and guidance through the hardest time of his life. I can't tell you about how he had to suffer at such a young age, because he made me promise not to mention it to anyone. However, as you can see he was able to recover and start anew. I'm very proud of his strength and the fact that he never stopped believing in family values or the ability to love. That's why it is hard for me to see him giving away his love and trust to a person I hardly know."

"You mean a person like me." Victoria shuddered. Charlotte had been right. David's life had truly been a tragedy and she hadn't even had the slightest idea about any of those events.

"Yes, a person like you. You're a potential danger. You could hurt him." Charlotte intensively started at Victoria.

"But I won't hurt him. I love and respect him. In a way, he saved me from the destruction of the last good parts that are left of my soul."

"I really hope you mean that. But maybe my impression proves me right and you do have a big heart like David's mother. After all, you left that rich husband of yours to hide in the middle of nowhere."

"I did that because I love David, because I need him more than I need money or status. I've never needed anything or anyone more in my life than I need him and I know that it's selfish – but that's what I've always been and always will be: a selfish person. I want David to belong with me and I want to be the center of his world." Victoria was surprised about how honest she was. For once, speaking the truth had a positive effect on her life.

"That's a lot to ask for a woman who's still married." Charlotte remarked.

"Only on paper. My heart belongs to David. I'll get a divorce as soon as I can." Again, Victoria was astonished by the words that came out of her mouth.

"But it must be difficult for you to live with Amanda, knowing that, as a good father, _she _will always be the center of his world." Charlotte knew she had hit Victoria's weak spot as the brunette's eyes widened with insecurity.

"Charlotte, trust me, I know that." She swallowed. "I am a mother myself and there won't be any person in this world that will ever be more important to me than my children are. Of course, the same goes for David and Amanda and I don't want to come between them at all. Quite the opposite, I want to form a bond with Amanda, so that she can learn to accept me and maybe even understand why I am so important to her father."

"Well, that's something I like to hear." Charlotte patted Victoria's hands. "Keep thinking in that direction and you may have a chance at gaining my trust." The older woman winked at Victoria and rose from her chair. Victoria didn't know what to make of that sudden change of Charlotte's tone of voice but she considered it a good point to finish their open conversation without a fight. "Thank you for telling me all of this."

"Just stick to your promise and we'll be fine." Charlotte returned. "But now take that shower. It's clearly overdue." She teased and wrinkled her nose before she finally left the room.

Victoria let out a relived breath, she hadn't known she was still holding back, and began stepping out of her clothes.  
All of that information was so much to take in. It would take her some time to figure out why David had never mentioned any of it to her. Especially, when she had poured out her heart to him since he was the only person she felt comfortable sharing memories of her past with.  
It was then that Victoria realized that the feeling she hadn't been able to name yet was hurt. She was hurt that David obviously didn't trust her enough to be open about his personal background while she had told him everything about her childhood and had even been honest with him about the events that had followed after her mother had kicked her to the curb. She hadn't even told Conrad about that. Well, actually she had never told a_nyone _about that.  
But when she had finally opened up about it to David it had felt so good, that she couldn't imagine why David wouldn't want to feel the same by sharing his bad memories with her.

The moment she stepped into the shower, Victoria found that maybe it was her turn to approach that topic although it meant breaking her promise to Charlotte, that maybe David was not sure if she was ready to hear about his tragic life before he moved away and in the long run came to rescue her.  
Therefore, she couldn't wait for when they would finally have some alone time together.  
More than ever she felt the need to be with David and to say things she knew still needed to be said between them, so that their closeness could never be destroyed again by people using secrets from their past against them.

* * *

**I hope you like my version of David's background story and the storytelling on Chalottes's side. **

**Please keep your lovely comments coming, they always inspire me! xx**


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